Staff Reporter :
The country witnessed the raw power of a nor’wester storm, also known as Kalboishakhi, as it tore through five southern districts across the country on Sunday.
It was known that at least 10 people were killed and 33 others injured as the nor’wester swept through five districts.
The Kalboishaki storm, or nor’wester, hit mainly the southern region of the country, including Pirojpur, Bhola, Bagherhat, and Jhalokathi.
Sources said that several houses had been destroyed, including trees and uprooting electricity poles, due to the severe storm on Sunday.
While in Khulna, a fisherman was killed after being struck by lightning at Komolpur village in Dumuria upazila in Khulna on Sunday morning. The deceased was identified as Obaidullah Gazi, son of Delwar Hossain Gazi
of the village.
In Pirojpur, the storm started around 10 a.m. During the storm, a woman died due to falling trees, and an elderly person died after being hit by the storm. At least 13 people have been injured.
For 15 minutes, the wind blew at a high speed over the district. As a result, the entire district’s electricity connection was disrupted.
Hundreds of trees had fallen, causing damage to several hundred houses, and communication systems on almost all roads in the municipality have been disrupted.
Mohammad Jahedur Rahman, the Deputy Commissioner of Pirojpur district, said, “The central upazila of Pirojpur has been mostly affected by the sudden nor’wester, however the exact amount of damage is still unknown.”
Doctor Rahman Ali, a physician at the district hospital, stated that two people have died in this storm. Twelve to thirteen injured individuals have been treated.
In Bhola, a sudden storm started in Bhola’s Manpura and Lalmohan around noon. As a result, over two hundred houses and trees have been damaged.
During this time, a person died due to a collapsed roof in their own home. Additionally, one person died due to a lightning strike.
The Bhola district administrator, Arifuzzaman, has stated that the families of the deceased will receive Tk 50,000 in cash. Additionally, 16 tonnes of rice have been immediately allocated to the affected areas of three affected upazilas.
Around noon in Manpura, a fishing trawler carrying six people capsized due to the ferocity of the storm. Although all passengers were rescued alive, the trawler has not been found.
In Bagerhat, a severe storm lasting for 35 minutes from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. resulted in two deaths and 10 injuries. In addition to the storm, there was extensive hail and lightning. As a result, two people are missing in the Tetulia River due to the storm.
Officer-in-Charge Shonit Kumar Gain of the Bagerhat Police Station confirmed the incident and stated that rescue and search operations are underway for the missing individuals.
Meanwhile, power supply to different parts of the district was suspended as 34 electric poles were uprooted during the strong storm, leaving four lakh people without power.
During the storm in two upazilas of Jhalokathi, two women and a girl were killed by lightning while bringing cattle to the field.
This incident occurred at around 11:00 a.m. in Shekherhat, Sadar Upazila, Ponabalia Union, and Aurabunia Union of Kathalia Upazila.
Meanwhile, some regions of the country are experiencing heat waves, which have made life difficult in the month of April.