Lighting strikes kill 11 in storm-hit Indian state

BHOPAL, India - Lighting killed 11 people and injured eight in 24 hours yesterday in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, hit by unseasonal rain and hailstorms.

The latest deaths, including a 10-year-old girl, brought the death toll due to bad weather to at least 35 since March 1.

More than 100 people have been injured and thousands of hectares of mustard, lentil and wheat crop damaged.

"As per preliminary reports, 720 villages in 30 districts have been affected by the unseasonal rains and hailstorms, and crops in 31,850 hectares of land has been lost," the state's Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, told reporters.

Six policemen were hurt when strong winds uprooted their tents and they were pelted by hail in western Madhya Pradesh overnight. Scores of trees have been ripped out by strong winds.

Rain and hailstorms have lashed India's key wheat-growing regions for the past two days and traders fear it may hit the country's output for grain.

- REUTERS