Rajasthan, May 3, 2018 (AP) -- A powerful rainstorm has swept parts of north and western India, causing house collapses, toppling trees and leaving at least 72 people dead. Relief commissioner Sanjay Kumar says the devastation is particularly severe in Agra, the northern Indian city where the white marble monument of Taj Mahal is located. He says 36 people have died there on Wednesday night as the wind speed touched 130 kilometers (80 miles) per hour. Some people also were killed by lightning. The Press Trust of India news agency says at least 27 others have died and another 100 are injured in the western Indian state of Rajasthan. The rainstorm caught people by surprise as the monsoon season is still more than six weeks away. Houses collapsed and electricity poles and trees were uprooted as the severe dust storm swept the Matysya region. The squall was reported mainly in three districts," Secretary, Disaster Management and Relief, Hemant Kumar Gera told PTI. Two of those killed in Dholpur were from Agra in Uttar Pradesh. He said nearly 100 were injured in the disaster. 20 were injured in Alwar, 32 in Bharatpur and 50 in Dholpur respectively. "A few are undergoing primary treatment while others were discharged. One critical patient from Dholpur was referred to Jaipur," he said. A detailed report of the disaster is awaited even as relief and rescue teams have been pressed into service to clear debris and restore power supply, he said.
