A thunderstorm on Friday claimed the lives of 17 people and left nine others injured in western Uttar Pradesh (UP), said PTI. Most of the deaths occurred due to the falling of trees and incidents of houses collapsing. As many as seven deaths were reported from Moradabad, three deaths in Sambhal, two each from Muzaffarnagar, Badaun and Meerut, and one from Amroha.

Accompanied by sudden gusty winds, the storm hit several areas. Damage to property was reported in some places while trees, electric poles, and hoardings fell down in many areas leading to casualties. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a warning in West Rajasthan, MP, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Bihar and Odisha among others

The IMD warned of heavy rains and thunderstorms on June 1 across many states. Earlier, deadly thunderstorms claimed the lives of over 30 people in various states across the country including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand. 

Thunderstorms have claimed at least over 150 lives in the month of May. UP was the worst hit with 18 people reported dead in thunderstorms during May 9 -10 while 50 others lost their lives on May 14. The casualties occurred mainly due to severe damage to hutments and the falling of electric poles as well as tree collapses when the thunderstorm stuck. The movement on roads was also disrupted due to fallen trees causing heavy traffic. 

IMD forecasted thunderstorms and dust storms in the Delhi-NCR region on Saturday afternoon and evening following the Friday night's sudden dust storm.