Death toll hits 40 after severe storm in Northern India

The death toll from a powerful storm in India this week has hit at least 40, officials said Friday. The storm lashed the states of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan late Wednesday, leaving a trail of destruction. It uprooted trees and caused houses to collapse, the Deutsche Presse-Agentur, DPA, reported.

State officials said it took until late Thursday to receive confirmations of the deaths from the remote districts. Twenty-six people died in Uttar Pradesh, according to TP Gupta, an official at the state relief control room. Fourteen more people died in the state of Rajasthan.

"Many deaths were reported in incidents of house collapses and lightning strikes with several of the victims being children," Gupta said. Nearly 200 people were injured in both states.

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