Indian thunderstorms kill at least 21

LUCKNOW, India -- At least 21 people in northern India have died after thunderstorms swept through the country's populous Uttar Pradesh state.

Police say the storms, which included unusually heavy rains and thunderstorms, caused an alcohol factory warehouse to collapse in the city of Unnao, killing at least eight people.

In another part of the state, six people were killed when they were struck by lightning in Bareilly, 130 miles east of New Delhi, while four others were killed in the neighboring Badaun district.

The thunderstorms and torrents severed power supply, uprooted trees and blocked drainage systems.

The rains in Uttar Pradesh, located in the northern plains, are not related to the monsoon rains that arrived in southernmost India on Thursday, accompanied by thunder and lightning.

Cyclone weakens

Meanwhile, the Indian meteorological department says a cyclone that has threatened India and Pakistan for several days is weakening.

The storm is drifting north over the Arabian sea, but officials are warning that it could change direction and hit land.

Emergency services are on standby in India's western state of Gujarat to evacuate residents if necessary.

Gujarat, devastated by an earthquake in January, has already evacuated thousands of people from the coastline and cautioned people in interior areas.

All ports in the coastal region including Kandla, one of the country's biggest ports, were closed as a precautionary measure.