Patna: A cyclonic storm which hit parts of Bihar late on Tuesday night wreaked havoc in the region, killing at least 38 people and destroying more than 25,000 houses.
Authorities said the toll could rise as the current numbers are based on initial information.
Officials and witnesses said the storm, which approached at a speed of 65-70 kilometres per hour, ripped through the north-eastern region of Bihar, causing extensive damages in some six districts of the state, the worst being Purnia where 29 people were reported dead.
The storm, which descended from Nepal, uprooted thousands of trees and electricity poles and damaged crops. More than 25,000 houses were destroyed, while road traffic was severely disrupted and communication lines cut off.
Authorities said it would take a minimum of 24 hours to restore power supply in the region.
Reports said the storm, which lasted for an hour, hit the region at around 10pm while most of the villagers had gone to bed, leaving hardly any time to escape. Many villagers were buried under the debris and died on the spot after being severely wounded.
The destruction was widespread since most of the houses in the region were made of tin sheets which flew in the air under the impact of storm.
“Initial information reaching us is that 38 people were killed under the impact of storm but the death toll is expected to rise further,” state disaster management secretary Vjasji told the media on Wednesday adding the state government was assessing the damage.
He also said the state government had rushed rescue teams to the spot and was trying hard to rush relief as quickly as possible.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed shock over the incident and announced compensation of Rs400,000 (Dh23,342) to each deceased person’s family.
The chief minister also conducted an aerial survey of the affected areas to take stock of the situation and personally assess the damages. He said the money would be delivered to the affected family within a week.
Even as the overall situation remains pathetic, the meteorological department has issued further alert for another such storms in Bihar in the next few days.
Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) Director R.K. Giri said, “The storm descended from Nepal side hitting Purnia, Sitamarhi, Darbhanga and went deep inside the state up to Bhagalpur. Our radar data is showing that the wind speed was around 65km per hour.”
