Over 1,000 people lost their lives in May and June due to natural calamities like thunderstorms and floods in the country, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said today. Rijiju said in the Rajya Sabha that among the total casualty of 1,006 people, 252 people were killed in Uttar Pradesh, where 360 others were also injured due to thunderstorms, floods and lightning. Altogether 97 people were killed in Odisha due to natural calamities, 74 people each died in West Bengal and Bihar, 73 died in Andhra Pradesh, 71 each in Karnataka and Kerala, 51 died in Jharkhand, 45 in Rajasthan and 44 in Assam. As many as 635 people were also injured in the country due to natural calamities in the two months, he said in a written reply to a question. -- PTI


Image: A dust storm in May nearly obliterates India Gate.