Thunderstorm wreaks havoc in Delhi: 2 dead, 18 injured, 40 flights diverted

The sudden change in weather began at around 4.30 pm and gusty winds swept the city.

Skies turned dark in Delhi on Sunday (May 13) and a sudden dust storm accompanied by lightning struck the city, bringing temperature several notches down. High-velocity winds affected normal life and even the flight movements were affected. Latest reports say that 18 persons have been injured in Delhi thunderstorm. A woman reportedly died after a tree fell on her in Pandav Nagar area.

Flight movements at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport have been put on hold due to thunderstorm, reported ANI. Airline Vistara's Srinagar-Delhi flight was diverted to Amritsar following bad weather conditions in Delhi-NCR.

More than 40 flight were diverted from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport as bad weather conditions continue in the region, said the latest report by ANI.

The temperature was today recorded at 30.6 degrees Celsius. The humidity was recorded at 60 per cent at 8:30 am, a Meteorological (Met) department official said. The Met office has forecast light rains will follow the dust storm.

According to ANI, the storm disrupted an event being attended by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in IP Extension when the winds blew off parts of the stage.

The sudden change in weather began at around 4.30 pm and gusty winds swept the city. The visibility was hampered initially as winds brought dust along with it. It was only after rain began that the dust settled down. The storm also uprooted trees, bringing traffic to a halt.

Four incidents of wall collapse were reported from various parts of Delhi due to a dust storm this afternoon, a Fire Service officer said. The incidents were reported from Najafgarh, Transit Camp, Nehru Place, Mohan Garden in Uttam Nagar and Raj Nagar in Palam. Two fire tenders each were rushed to the four areas.

Similar weather conditions were reported from nearby areas such as Faridabad, Gurugram, Noida and Ghaziabad.

Metro movement at the Noida Dwaraka line was stalled for 30 minutes due to bad weather conditions, said reports.

Metro Service from Delhi to Noida, UP, was suspended for the day after a tree fell on the Blue Line. DMRC said that an overhead equipment cable on Blue Line was cut off as a tree fell on it during the storm. This led to the Blue Line operations being terminated.

The MeT department had earlier today warned that 26 districts of Uttar Pradesh are likely to witness the harsh change in weather.

On May 9, several parts of the state were hit by a severe storm that left 18 dead and 27 others injured. Five people died in Etawah district, three each in Mathura, Aligarh and Agra, two in Firozabad and one each in Hathras and Kanpur Dehat.