Jitendra Prakash
At least 91 people have died in dust storms in India, with many of the dead killed sleeping in homes that collapsed after being struck by intense bursts of lightning. The storms largely affected three districts in Rajasthan region in the northwest of the country—Alwar, Bharatpur, and Dholpur—where at least 31 people were killed, with Alwar reportedly the worst affected. Although storms are common in the area in summer, the death toll is being described as the worst in decades. “I’ve been in office for 20 years and this is the worst I’ve seen,” Hemant Gera, secretary for disaster management and relief in Rajasthan, told the BBC. “We had a high-intensity dust storm on April 11—19 people died then—but this time it struck during the night so many people sleeping and couldn’t get out of their houses when mud walls collapsed.” Falling trees are also believed to be the cause of some deaths. Officials believe the death toll will rise.