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INDIA-PAKISTAN-WEATHER
Storms kill 35 in India
NEW DELHI, April 17, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Thunderstorms swept across western
India killing at least 35 people and leaving widespread damage, officials
said Wednesday.
Strong winds barrelled through Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh states
felling walls, trees and electricity lines. The storms have also been blamed
for at least 25 deaths in Pakistan this week.
At least 10 people were killed in the desert state of Rajasthan, where a
wall of dust swept over several cities. Another 10 were killed in
neighbouring Gujarat and 15 in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, state
emergency services told AFP.
Officials said victims were hit by lightning, falling trees or electrocuted
by power lines.
Strong winds and sudden rains also hit the capital, New Delhi, bringing
searing summer temperatures down by 10 degrees.
The storms forced the cancellation of several political rallies as India’s
national election gathers pace. The wind blew away a tent that was to have
been used for a rally by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Himmatnagar in
Gujarat.
More than 125 people were killed in a wave of storms that battered northern
Indian states in May last year.
Lightning kills thousands in India every year, mostly farmers working in
fields.
BSS/AFP/MSY/1447 hrs