LUCKNOW, India -- A powerful rainstorm has swept parts of north and western India, causing house collapses, toppling trees and leaving at least 72 people dead. Relief commissioner Sanjay Kumar says the devastation is particularly severe in Agra, the northern Indian city where the white marble monument of Taj Mahal is located.

He says 36 people died there on Wednesday night as the wind speed touched 80 miles per hour. Some people also were killed by lightning.

The Press Trust of India news agency says at least 27 others died and another 100 are injured in the western Indian state of Rajasthan.

Get Breaking News Delivered to Your Inbox

CBS News' Arshard R. Zargar reports that many of the deaths were caused by the roofs of homes collapsing on people as they slept.

The rainstorm caught people by surprise as the monsoon season is still more than six weeks away.