Powerful winds and rainstorms have swept across a crowded swath of northern India, demolishing houses, uprooting trees and killing at least 43 people as winds turned the skies brown with dust and sand, officials say.
Most of the deaths occurred when wind and falling trees caused buildings to collapse, leaving people buried in the wreckage.
In the town of Bareilly, the minaret of a mosque fell on a group of people taking shelter in the courtyard, killing eight. In another town, one man was killed when he was hit by a billboard that had blown loose.
Less than two weeks ago, similar storms caused 134 deaths and injured another 400. The extreme weather comes amid withering summer heat, and approaching monsoon rains.
"These storm are not unusual at this time of the year," said J.P. Gupta, the meteorological office director for Uttar Pradesh state.
"But the wind speed this year is a bit abnormal."
Winds reached speeds up to 109km/h on Sunday, officials said. Trains and commuter rail lines were paused and dozens of flights were diverted from New Delhi's international airport as the storm blew into the city.
At least 42 people were killed in sprawling Uttar Pradesh state, which has a population of more than 210 million people, said government spokesman Avnish Awasthi. He said 50 people were injured when uprooted trees fell on houses, with 38 of those people admitted to hospitals. At least one more person was killed in New Delhi.
