Deadly Storms and Relentless Rains Batter Uttar Pradesh: Death Toll Rises to 42

Incessant rainfall accompanied by gale-force winds caused widespread devastation across Uttar Pradesh between Friday night and Saturday, claiming at least 42 lives and leaving numerous people injured. The fatalities were primarily triggered by falling trees, collapsing mud houses, boundary walls giving way, and electrocution.

The Awadh region suffered the heaviest toll with 23 casualties, while Bundelkhand and central UP reported 8 deaths combined. Another 8 fatalities occurred in the Gorakhpur-Basti division, followed by 2 in Varanasi and 1 in the Braj belt.

Awadh Region Hardest Hit

• Bahraich (5 Deaths): High winds and downpours brought down large trees and structures, killing five individuals—including a child crushed by a wall and a recruit constable. Thousands of fallen trees and downed power lines triggered district-wide blackouts.
• Sitapur (4 Deaths): Four people, including children and elderly residents, died in separate mud-wall collapse incidents across Hargaon and Mahmudabad.
• Ayodhya (4 Deaths): Falling trees claimed four lives across Rudauli, Amaniganj, and Mawai, while six passengers sustained injuries after a tree crushed their vehicle in Purakalandar.
• Barabanki (3 Deaths): Structural collapses and uprooted trees led to three fatalities in Fatehpur, Ramsanehighat, and Mohammadpur Khala.
• Gonda & Balrampur (4 Deaths): In Gonda, two motorists died instantly when a heavy tree branch crashed onto their motorcycle. In Balrampur, continuous rain over 72 hours destroyed 11 dwellings and caused two fatalities.
• Amethi & Shravasti (3 Deaths): Amethi recorded two deaths—one from a collapsed wall and another from electrocution. In Shravasti, a massive banyan tree collapsed on a thatched house, resulting in one fatality and multiple injuries.

Bundelkhand and Central Uttar Pradesh

Continuous three-day downpours caused structural devastation and claimed eight human lives: three in Hamirpur, and one each in Mahoba, Banda, Hardoi, Auraiya, and Fatehpur. Over three dozen cattle perished in structural collapses. While an uprooted tree crushed a sleeper bus in Orai, passengers escaped without casualties. Meteorological authorities have issued advisories urging residents to stay indoors.

Gorakhpur-Basti Belt and Varanasi

• Gorakhpur-Basti (8 Deaths): Fierce squalls downed power infrastructure and vegetation across the division. In Gorakhpur alone, falling trees killed four people, while a child died from contact with a live downed wire. Neighboring Sant Kabir Nagar and Basti districts registered additional deaths due to fallen trees, wall collapses, and electrified poles.
• Varanasi (2 Deaths): Strong gales reaching 68 km/h accompanied 19.8 mm of rain, inundating low-lying sectors and uprooting utility poles. Wall and tree collapses accounted for two deaths in the district.

Braj Region

Widespread infrastructure damage impacted the western districts, with over 100 electric poles downed. A collapsed house in Dannahar, Mainpuri, claimed one life and left six people wounded. Scattered wall collapses and structural damage to tin roofing were also reported in Kasganj, Firozabad, and Etah.