New Delhi/Ghaziabad: At 25 people died in several districts of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday as heavy rain lashed the State. The downpour severely disrupted daily life and authorities of a dozen districts including Lucknow, Aligarh, Meerut, Gautam Buddh Nagar, and Ghaziabad issued an order stating that schools will remain closed on Monday given the heavy downpour.
Two persons identified as Baliram Singh and Brijesh Yadav died when a boat capsized in Gorakhpur in Rapti river, said A K Singh, Superintendent of Police, Gorakhpur (South). A 90-year-old woman was killed after a house collapsed due to rains in Ghaziabad at around 11 am on Sunday sources in the district administration said.
Official sources said that , a resident of Akalpur village under Masuri police station area- identified as Shakuntala Devi-was killed after being buried under the rubble of a dilapidated house. In Hardoi, two farmers were killed after being struck by lightning. Additional District Magistrate Vandana Trivedi said, "In Sawayjpur tehsil, farmer Rajendra Singh Chauhan was killed after being struck by lightning. In a similar incident, Muniraj (24) and Chatrapal (35) of Rampur Mishra village under Pali police station limits were hit by lightning. Muniraj was killed while Chatrapal was injured."
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In Sitapur district, an 11-year-old girl was killed after being struck by lightning. According to police, the deceased was identified as Mahak from Autrauli village. In Etawah, a police officer said that one Mula Devi (75) of Jaunpur village was killed after being hit by lightning.
A 14-year-old boy was killed and several others were injured in three incidents of house collapse caused due to heavy rains in Bulandshahr. According to local authorities, Pawan (14), Guddu (12), Nisha (18), Shalu (14) and Lalu (13) were buried under rubble when a temporary wall fell on them in Maharajpur area. While the neighbours recovered the children, Pawan was declared dead by doctors at a hospital, police said.
At least six others were injured in similar incidents reported from Dibai and Usadpur areas of the district. In Balrampur, two teenagers were swept away in flood waters. Body of one of the boys, Zishan (16), has been recovered while efforts are on to search for the other, said Circle Officer Radha Raman Singh.
As per India Meteorological Department (IMD), the state recorded an average of 22.5 mm rainfall on Sunday, which is 2396 per cent more than the 'long period average' (LPA) for the day. Since October 1, the state has recorded 92.3 mm rainfall which is 500 per cent more than the LPA of 14.4mm. IMD officials have issued forecast of more rains across the state in the next 24 hours.