© ANIDust storm in Uttar Pradesh claims 17 lives
At least 17 persons have been reported dead in
dust storm which hit western
Uttar Pradesh on Friday evening.
Muradabad has the highest number of casualties (7) while Muzaffarnagar and
Meerutreported two deaths each. Three persons died in Sambhal and two deaths were reported from Badaun. Relief commissioner
Sanjay Kumarsaid that all these deaths have been reported due to tree or house collapse incidents.
A tin shed collapsed in
Amroha killing one person. Kumar said that district magistrates have been asked to ensure that relief material are distributed within 24 hours and compensations are disbursed to affected families at the earliest.
Close to 150 persons have died in the state due to thunder storms since May 1 this year. While some deaths were reported due to lightning strikes, most deaths have occurred due to wall or tree collapse incidents.
Comment: A month ago
powerful 'freak' dust storms killed over 125 people in north India, the highest death toll in decades.
While dust storms and thunderstorms are common in the country at this time, recent storms appear to be particularly intense. NASA's Earth Observatory
reported that the state of Andhra Pradesh in the country's southeast was struck by about
40 000 lightning bolts in just 13 hours late April 2018.
That's more than the number of strikes that occurred in the entire month of May 2017.
From the same article Ajay Singh, a climate change researcher commented:
"Even with the increasing trend, the intensity of events so far this year is anomalous. The unusual thunder and dust storms could have a combination of causes, including extra moisture from a cyclonic circulation over West Bengal colliding with destructive dusty winds. High temperatures in the area also made the atmosphere unstable, fueling thunderstorms and heavy winds."
Comment: A month ago powerful 'freak' dust storms killed over 125 people in north India, the highest death toll in decades.
While dust storms and thunderstorms are common in the country at this time, recent storms appear to be particularly intense. NASA's Earth Observatory reported that the state of Andhra Pradesh in the country's southeast was struck by about 40 000 lightning bolts in just 13 hours late April 2018. That's more than the number of strikes that occurred in the entire month of May 2017.
From the same article Ajay Singh, a climate change researcher commented: