Tree falls on hut during nor'wester, kills woman in Panchagarh

A 78-year-old woman was killed when a tree fell on her thatched house in Chanpara village of Panchagarh Sadar upazila as a nor’wester accompanied swept across the district early today.

Confirming the death of Chakati Bala, Tahmida Sultana, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Panchagarh Sadar, told The Daily Star that the storm began around 12:30am and lasted about half an hour, bringing strong winds, hail and rain.

Moynul Islam, 45, and his wife Khukumoni, 37, of the Panchagarh Railway Station area were also injured when a tree fell on their tin-roofed house.

Several others were reportedly injured in different parts of the upazila, while several hundred houses were damaged, she added.

The storm also hit Atwari, Boda and Debiganj upazilas, damaging houses and standing crops, and uprooting numerous trees and electricity poles.

Power supply was disrupted in many areas as fallen trees damaged lines and several poles were uprooted. Electricity had yet to be fully restored in affected areas.

State Minister for Water Resources and Panchagarh-2 MP Farhad Hossain Azad visited several affected areas in Boda and Debiganj and asked officials to prepare a list of actual victims for assistance.

According to officials of the upazila administration and the agriculture department, hundreds of homes and crops on around 1,400 hectares of land were damaged across the district.

Abdul Matin, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension, said wheat on 309 hectares, maize on 680.5 hectares, chilli on 391.9 hectares, vegetables on 21 hectares, and onion on 3.58 hectares were affected.

He said chilli growers in Atwari and Boda were the worst hit due to hail and strong winds, while maize, wheat and vegetables may recover if weather conditions improve in the coming weeks.

Nazmul Islam, a farmer from Lakshmipur village in Atwari, said his chilli field on leased land was badly damaged, leaving him with little chance of recovery.

Residents in Boda also reported widespread damage to tin-roofed houses as large hailstones punctured corrugated iron sheets.

Deputy Commissioner Shukuria Parvin said an assessment of damages is underway.

Jitendranath Roy of the Tentulia Weather Observatory said the storm was caused by seasonal winds, with speeds between 25 and 30 kmph, and similar conditions may persist until April 1.