Gusty winds, unseasoned rains kill 10 in Rajasthan

Dust storm and rains in several parts of Rajasthan left 10 persons dead, a senior official said Wednesday. A compensation of Rs four lakh each has been announced for families of the victims.

“4 persons died in Jhalawar and as many in Jaipur while one person each died in Baran and Udaipur,” Relief Secretary, Ashutosh AT Pednekar, told PTI. “There are 3-4 more deaths and we are confirming whether they are related to rains,” he said.

Gusty winds accompanied with rains affected normal life in the state on Tuesday. Several trees and electric poles were uprooted in different parts due to high-velocity winds of nearly 60 kmph. In Jhalawar, two children were killed in a lightning strike and two others died when a wall collapsed. One person in Udaipur died due in a lightning strike whereas a man died due to a wall collapse in Jaipur.

The weather turned rough due to Western Disturbance and winds with moisture from Arabian sea and the Bay of Bengal. Dabok in Udaipur recorded a maximum of 34.7 mm rains followed by Kota, Alwar, Bhilwara, Jaipur and Sriganganagar where 27.8, 21.9, 21, 13.8 and 13 mm rains occurred. Few other places also recorded below 13 mm spots of rain till Wednesday morning. The department has predicted dust storm or thunderstorm accompanied by high-velocity winds and lightning at a few places during the next 24 hours.

(With inputs from agencies.)