Nearly 90 killed as storm lashes India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh

Almost 90 people were killed in ​a violent storm that battered India's most populous ‌state, Uttar Pradesh, with rain and hail, the state disaster management and relief office said on Thursday, Report informs via Reuters.

Storms are common ​in the northern state during the hot ​season from March to June, before the ⁠monsoon rains bring respite.

"Adverse weather conditions" on Wednesday ​led to the deaths of 89 people, Uttar Pradesh's ​relief commissioner said in a post on X.

There were also reports of 53 people injured, 87 houses damaged, and 114 ​livestock killed in the state due to the ​storms, rain, hail, and lightning, the post added.

Television images showed ‌trees ⁠and billboards uprooted by gusts of wind, with some crashing into cars amid clouds of dust and debris that knocked down wooden furniture at roadside ​stalls.

Some of the ​fatalities were ⁠attributed to falling trees and collapsing walls of homes, a state relief official ​told Reuters.

The chief minister of the ​state, ⁠governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, had directed officials to assist survivors and distribute financial ⁠aid ​within 24 hours, authorities said.