Raj dust storm claims 17 lives, over 60 injured

The death toll due to the dust storm in Rajasthan has risen to 17 and over 60 persons have been injured in related incidents till last evening.
The severe storm which generated over Bikaner region and advanced to Nagaur, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Sawaimadhopur and nearby region also uprooted many trees and damaged several houses yesterday.
Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh for the affected families.
The worst affected was Bharatpur where five persons were killed and over 50 injured.
More than 50 houses also got damaged due to the strong winds in villages of the district, police said.

Three persons each in Dholpur and Sawaimadhopur, two each in Bikaner and Bundi, one each in Baran and Nagaur districts were also killed in separate incidents and most of them were cases of wall collapse.

In Bundi city, 42-year-old Rajendra Singh Chopara, a dhaba owner, was killed on the spot after a pillar fell on him following the dust storm, city Kotwali police said.
A 19-year-old contractual labourer was electrocuted by a hanging live cable from a high power electric line under Chechat area of Kota district last evening.
In Baran, 75-year-old Sitabai, a resident of Nimedi village, was killed after a roadside balcony she took shelter under, collapsed on her.

Those dead in the state included five women and two girls, police said.
The powerful storm, which swept through most parts of Rajasthan, also brought down the day temperature in many areas of the desert state by few notches.
It reduced visibility for over an hour and traffic on roads and highway was also affected, police said.
Many trees were uprooted due to the high velocity winds. While 30 electricity polls uprooted in Nagaur's Didwana town.