The death toll from violent thunderstorms that battered the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has risen to at least 111, with 72 people injured, state authorities said on Friday. The storms swept across the state on the night of May 13.
Officials said most of the deaths were caused by collapsing walls, lightning strikes and falling trees as fierce winds and heavy rain moved through districts in quick succession. The casualties were spread across a wide swathe of the state.
Prayagraj reported the highest number of deaths at 21, followed by Sant Ravidas Nagar with 14 and Fatehpur with 11. Further fatalities were confirmed in Barabanki, Bahraich, Kanpur Dehat, Basti, Sambhal, Hardoi and Unnao.
The storms also killed 114 head of livestock and damaged at least 87 houses, according to state disaster officials. The destruction compounded losses for rural households at the height of the harvest season.
Meteorologists attributed the event to widespread pre-monsoon thunderstorm activity driven by unstable atmospheric conditions, a pattern that produces sudden, violent squalls across northern India in the weeks before the monsoon arrives.
The state government said officials had been instructed to step up monitoring and to distribute financial assistance to affected families. Relief teams were deployed to the worst-hit districts to clear debris and assess damage.