Asia-Pacific

27 killed in storm in India

(AP)
Updated: 2007-05-12 20:43

LUCKNOW, India - At least 27 people were killed as a violent storm lashed northern India, crumpling houses and leaving large areas without electricity, officials said Saturday.

Twenty-four people were killed in the town of Sultanpur in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh when several buildings collapsed, while three others were killed by lightning in the neighboring town of Pratapgarh, police said.

Sultanpur is about 140 kilometers (85 miles) southeast of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh.

"In a majority of the cases trees fell on the houses, crushing them like a pack of cards," said police spokesman Surendra Srivastava. "The people who were inside were crushed to death."

More than two dozen people were injured, he said.

Winds of over 60 kilometers (37 miles) per hour blew through the area, said K.P. Kulshreshta, an official at the Meteorological Office.

The winds also pulled down electrical lines, leaving much of the state without power.