Rain and dust storms lead to over 60 deaths in India

At least 60 people have been killed and many others injured as thunderstorms and dust storms hit four Indian states on Sunday.

The Indian weather office has warned that more thunderstorms are to come in next two days, reports NDTV.  

Deaths were reported from Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Delhi-NCR.

Thirty eight people were killed in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh alone, while 12, including children, were killed in West Bengal. Twelve people were reported dead in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, while two people have been confirmed dead in Delhi.

The storms left a trail of destruction, bringing down walls, uprooting trees and caused power outages in many regions.

Nearly 100 houses were gutted in a fire which broke out due to lightning in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal.

More than 70 incoming flights were diverted from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday evening.

The violent weather also disrupted train and metro services in Delhi and its suburbs where thousands of commuters were stuck on the busy Blue Line, which links Dwarka in north-west Delhi to Noida and Vaishali in Uttar Pradesh, for almost 45 minutes.

All four states remain in high alert as the meteorological office has forecasted more thunderstorms and dust storms in at least 26 districts over the next two days.

“Saddened by the loss of lives due to storms in some parts of the country. Condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured," Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.