India Storm Disaster: Uttar Pradesh Death Toll Climbs Past 110
AFP
Uttar Pradesh: Deadly pre-monsoon storms sweeping across northern India have exposed the growing human cost of extreme weather, after the death toll in Uttar Pradesh climbed past 110 amid violent winds, lightning strikes and torrential rain.
Officials in India’s most populous state said at least 111 people were killed and dozens injured after powerful storms tore through multiple districts earlier this week, damaging homes, uprooting trees and disrupting transport networks. Authorities had initially reported 89 deaths, but the figure rose as more districts confirmed casualties.
Television footage showed roofs ripped from buildings and roads blocked by fallen trees as fierce gusts battered towns across the state, home to more than 240 million people.
The disaster has also drawn attention to the increasing intensity of India’s pre-monsoon weather patterns.
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Meteorologists say unstable atmospheric conditions triggered widespread thunderstorms across northern India, while climate experts have repeatedly warned that rising temperatures are fueling more severe lightning and storm activity.
One widely circulated video appeared to capture the dramatic moment a labourer was flung into the air while trying to secure a tin roof in Bareilly district. According to India’s Press Trust news agency, survivor Nanhe Ansari said he was lifted several metres into the air by a powerful gust before landing in a flooded maize field.
“I thought I would not survive, but I did,” he said from his hospital bed.
Lightning strikes remain a major cause of weather-related deaths in India during the summer season ahead of the annual monsoon rains. Authorities said more than 200 homes were damaged in the storms, while relief officials have been directed to provide financial assistance to affected families.
The latest tragedy comes as India faces increasingly frequent episodes of extreme weather, ranging from deadly heatwaves to intense storms, raising concerns over climate resilience in densely populated regions.
