Forty-one people killed as storms, lightning strike northern India

At least 41 people were killed as storms andlightning struck the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on theweekend, officials said.The storms on Saturday and Sunday, accompanied by high-speed windsand rains, felled trees and electricity poles and brought down roofsand temporary structures. "While six people were killed on Saturday, 35 more died in suchincidents on Sunday," Mohammad Arif, an official at the statedisaster management control room in state capital Lucknow said byphone.Many of the victims were farmers and homeless people who wereoutdoors, Arif said.The deaths were caused by lightning, as well as the uprooting oftrees and collapse of houses in heavy rains and strong winds, headded.Close to a 100 mud-thatched homes collapsed in the inclement weather.State Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath condoled the loss of lives andannounced a compensation of 400,000 rupees each (5,800 dollars) tothe families of the victims.Lightning strikes and storms are common in India during the monsoonseason that stretches between June and September.More than 200 people have died in rain-related incidents in India inJuly, a bulk of them in Assam and eastern Bihar state.