Taj Mahal gate damaged by heavy rains; 16 dead in Rajasthan; top updates

.

Heavy rains and thuderstorms wreaked havoc on Wednesday night, claiming at least five lives in Bharatpur and 11 in Dholpur district of Rajasthan. Among those killed in Dholpur, five were children. Also, more than 100 people have been injured during the heavy rain and dust storm.

Thousands of trees were uprooted and water clogged the roads as heavy rains lashed both the districts on Wednesday night. Train movements came to a standstiil on the Agra-Dholpur line, causing the trains to stop for almost three hours.

The Indian Meteorological Department had forecast the possibility of a rain or thunderstorm or duststorm in Eastern Rajasthan. The phone network was disrupted in the region after the hailstorm. Hospitals in Bharatpur and Dholpur are full of patients after several people injured in rain-related mishaps.

In Uttar Pradesh, rains claimed eight lives in Agra, four in Mathura and two in Firozabad.

Hailstorm in National Capital Region and Punjab damaged crops that were ready to be harvested. Unprecedented rains have already damaged the harvesting process by a week, say farmers.