Storms claim 56 lives in India

Storms claim 56 lives in India

2011-05-20 00:54:08 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW DELHI (BNO NEWS) -- At least 56 people were killed when severe dust storms, accompanied by rain and thundershowers, lashed the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar on Wednesday evening.

The Times of India reported that at least 30 people were killed when a cyclonic storm hit several districts in the eastern state of Uttar Pradesh. Eight members of a marriage party were killed when a tree, uprooted by a fierce dust storm, fell on their jeep in Siddhartnagar district, according to Press Trust of India.

The storms also damaged several houses and uprooted trees at several places in the districts of Ghatampur and Kanpur. In addition, a boy was killed when an uprooted tree fell on him, while a girl died when a portion of a wall of her house collapsed and fell on her.

The death toll is expected to rise as details from remote districts are still coming in. High-velocity wind and scattered rain is still occurring at some places.

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