Dust and thunderstorms swept through west, central and north India as a major weather disturbance pummeled the region over the past 48 hours, claiming the lives of at least 64 people, a majority of them in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
Most of the deaths were due to lightning strikes, electrocution and tree falls. Rajasthan reported 25 deaths, Madhya Pradesh 21 and Gujarat 10, while three people died in Maharashtra since Monday. There were also reports of damage to crops due to strong winds, rain and hailstorms in Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and other places.
The deaths also triggered a political spat after Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter on Wednesday morning to express anguish over the loss of lives in Gujarat and announce relief.
Soon afterwards Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath hit out at the Prime Minister, accusing him of being concerned only about his home state, Gujarat. The PMO, in a later tweet, said, “PM has expressed grief at loss of lives due to unseasonal rains and storms in MP, Rajasthan, Manipur & various parts of the country.”
The storms across west, central and north were caused by an intense western disturbance that drew moisture from the Arabian Sea and clashed with an easterly wave coming from the Bay of Bengal.
