AMN / NEW DELHI
The Ministry of Home Affairs issued a fresh warning on Friday about a possible thunderstorm accompanied with squall likely to hit four states – West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
It also noted that 124 people were killed while more than 300 injured in five states due to thunderstorm and lightning in the last two days.
The maximum casualty was reported in Uttar Pradesh where 73 people were killed, while 91 others were injured.
Most of the deaths and injuries in the state took place in Agra region, a Home Ministry spokesperson said.
In Rajasthan, altogether 35 people were killed and 206 injured, while eight people were killed in Telangana, six in Uttarakhand and two in Punjab. Nearly 100 people were injured in Telangana, Uttarakhand and Punjab.
Following the thunderstorms, power supply was cut off in many areas as squall uprooted trees and snapped electricity cables. At least 12,000 electric poles were uprooted and 2,500 transformers damaged in the affected states in the last two days.
The Home Ministry spokesperson said a fresh warning has been issued about possible thunderstorms accompanied with squall which may hit four states — West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh—today.
Thunderstorm accompanied with squall is very likely at isolated places over Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura.
Isolated places in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, Punjab, Bihar, Jharkhand, Sikkim, Odisha, northwest Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Rayalaseema, north coastal Andhra Pradesh, interior Tamil Nadu and Kerala are very likely to experience thunderstorm along with gusty winds.
Heavy rains are very likely at isolated places over Tamil Nadu and Kerala, while dust storm and thunderstorm very likely at isolated places over Rajasthan.
The Home Ministry has also issued an advisory for tomorrow saying thunderstorm accompanied with squall are very likely at isolated places in Uttarakhand, Assam and Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim.
PM announces ex gratia for kin of dead
Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those killed in a dust storm which had hit parts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan on Wednesday.
The assistance will be provided from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
The prime minister has also approved Rs 50,000 each for those seriously injured due to the storm, a statement from the PMO said here.