Hamirpur: At least 16 people were killed across Uttar Pradesh after a powerful storm accompanied by heavy rain lashed several districts late Thursday night and early Friday morning, causing widespread destruction, accidents and disruption of normal life. The worst tragedy was reported from Hamirpur district, where six labourers died after a slab of an under-construction bridge over the Betwa river collapsed during the storm.
The accident took place around 2 am in Lalpura area, nearly 25 km from the Hamirpur district headquarters. According to officials, labourers working on the under-construction bridge had taken shelter beneath the structure when strong winds and rain hit the area. Moments later, a massive slab collapsed, trapping workers under the debris.
Teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) launched a rescue operation that continued for nearly seven-and-a-half hours. Three injured workers trapped in the rubble were rescued and shifted for treatment, while six labourers were found dead.
Officials said four of the deceased were residents of Banda district and two belonged to Hamirpur. Rescue teams continued clearing debris even after the operation officially ended to ensure that no worker remained trapped.
A labourer who survived the accident said two shifts were working on the bridge project. According to him, workers from the first shift were resting under the bridge while seven labourers from the second shift were still working on the structure when the storm intensified.
“To protect ourselves from the storm, we lay down on the bridge. Suddenly the slab collapsed,” the worker said.
The bridge is being constructed by the Uttar Pradesh State Bridge Corporation at a cost of around Rs 90 crore. The 700-metre-long two-lane bridge is being built between Morakand and Kurara village. Construction began in March 2024 and the project is scheduled for completion by December 2026.
Managing Director of the Uttar Pradesh Bridge Corporation Dharmveer Singh said preliminary information suggested that the slab collapsed due to the intense storm and rainfall. He said an inquiry would be conducted into the incident.
According to the Meteorological Department, wind speeds in Hamirpur reached 70 to 80 kmph during the night.
The storm system caused extensive damage across large parts of Uttar Pradesh. In Saharanpur, two tourists died after heavy rainfall triggered a sudden flow of water and debris from nearby hills, washing away around 10 vehicles, including an Innova car and a tractor. Several motorcycles were buried under mud and debris. Rescue and relief operations were still underway in the area.
Strong winds and rain also affected Lucknow, Varanasi, Prayagraj and nearly 20 other districts. In several places, wind speeds reportedly touched 100 kmph. Hailstorms were reported from Saharanpur.
In Varanasi, heavy rainfall led to severe waterlogging outside the trauma centre of Banaras Hindu University. Dozens of trees and electric poles were uprooted in multiple districts, disrupting power supply and traffic movement.
In Jhansi, a unipole collapsed due to strong winds. Railway services were also affected after overhead electric wires snapped and fell on tracks, delaying several trains for hours.
Apart from the six deaths in Hamirpur, four members of a family, including a mother, son and daughter, died in Kaushambi after a tree fell on a mud house during the storm. Two people died in Saharanpur, while one death each was reported from Azamgarh, Pratapgarh, Fatehpur and Ambedkar Nagar.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the widespread destruction and directed district officials to visit affected areas and carry out relief work on priority. Officials have also been instructed to provide immediate assistance to affected families.
Meanwhile, the weather remained unstable across the state, with cloudy skies and cool winds bringing relief from the heat. The Meteorological Department issued thunderstorm warnings for all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh and heavy rainfall alerts for at least 12 districts.
Authorities have advised people to remain indoors during storms and avoid taking shelter near weak structures, trees and electric poles as the state braces for more adverse weather over the next 24 hours.
