Death toll from India storms rises to 127

UTTAR PRADESH, May 4 (Agencies): More than 127 people were killed after fierce dust storms lashed many parts of India on the intervening nights of Wednesday and Thursday.

The winds were so violent that has left a trail of destruction, with houses flattened, trees uprooted and electricity poles in disarray.

The highest numbers of causalities were in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, where the storms claimed 112 lives. Uttar Pradesh reported 73 deaths in lightening, of which 46 were in Agra district alone, according to the Indian media.

As many as 39 people died in Rajasthan, followed by seven in Telangana, four in Uttarakhand and two each in Jharkhand and Punjab.

High-speed winds and lightning have devastated many villages, brought down walls and left scores injured.

A spokesperson for the Uttar Pradesh relief commissioner's office told a news agency the death toll was the highest from such storms in at least 20 years. Officials have said the death toll could rise over the coming days.