Storms kill 47 in northern India

Fierce storms which swept across northern India have killed at least 47, taking the death toll from freak weather over the past month to several hundred, officials said yesterday.

The storms and lightning strikes toppled walls and power pylons or electrocuted victims, as temperatures in India rose as high as 48.6 Celsius.

Disaster management officials in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand said 47 people had died in night-time storms that swept across the region.

Bihar was the worst hit, pounded by strong winds and thunderbolts.

"At least 19 people have been confirmed dead. 11 of them due to lightning," Yoginder Singh, a Bihar state disaster management official, told AFP.

The wild weather extended into neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, where winds of up to 70 kilometres an hour buffeted India's most populous state.

"Fifteen people were killed by overnight lightning and high-speed winds," said T.P. Gupta of the Uttar Pradesh disaster management department. Another 10 people were injured, some with burns after being struck by lightning, he added.

Many people in rural India sleep outdoors in summer to escape the searing heat, making them more vulnerable to storms.

Nearly 200 people have died in Uttar Pradesh this month in powerful sandstorms. Scores have died in other states.

The Indian Meteorological Department has warned that more storms and heavy rain could hit Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in the next two days.