Dust storms kill more than 100 people in India


Strong dust storms hit the northern Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan on Wednesday, leaving at least 109 people and countless livestock dead.
The storms uprooted trees and destroyed homes, and many of the people who died were asleep when their houses collapsed, BBC News reports. In Uttar Pradesh, 73 people were killed, more than half in Agra district, home to the Taj Mahal. "I haven't seen such a devastating storm in at least 25 years," Shivam Lohia, a hotel owner in Rajasthan, told AFP. "Everyone was scared and running for cover as trees and homes were getting blown away. It was a nightmare."
Dust storms are common in India during this time of year, but usually the storms do not result in so many casualties. In the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, more than 41,000 lightning strikes were counted on Wednesday, and more storms are likely throughout the country through the end of the week.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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