Tornado kills six in Faridpur, Munshiganj

At least six people were killed and over a hundred others injured in Faridpur and Munshiganj as a tornado swept through the areas yesterday. 

In one incident alone in Faridpur sadar upazila, four people were killed and 64 injured as the roof of a jute mill caved in amid strong wind in the afternoon.

The roof of Karim Jute Mill was made of corrugated tin. At least 350 workers were working at the mill around 2:00pm when the tornado struck, reports a correspondent from Faridpur.

The dead victims are Hazrat Ali, 55, of Kurigram district; Maloti Mondal, 40, of Bakunda area of Faridpur; Chandu Shekh, 50, of Khulna; and Akash, 22.

The bodies were recovered from the mill in Bakunda area after the incident, said Jamil Hassan, Faridpur superintendant of police.

At least 60 injured workers were admitted to Faridpur Medical College Hospital. Four others have been taking treatment at Faridpur General Hospital, according to the police official.

Meanwhile, two died in some other parts of the upazila during the tornado.

Of them, Biren Biswas, 35, of Boughata village in Faridpur, died as the roof of his house crashed down on him. The other, Abul Shah, 40, died at Dohari Para in Krisnanagar union as a tree fell on him. 

District Administrator Sardar Sarafat Ali said the families of the deceased were given Tk 20,000 each. 

In Munshiganj, at least 40 people were injured as the tornado struck Gaodia bazar and Vojdia village of Lauhajang upazila, reports our Munshiganj correspondent.

Some 50 shops of the Gaodia market were damaged while a number of trees were uprooted.  Several houses collapsed. 

Of the injured, two persons were sent to Dhaka for better treatment.

GLOOMY WEATHER DUE TO LAND DEPRESSION

People in the capital and most other parts of the country started their day yesterday amid fog and rain triggered by a land depression.

Dhaka dwellers experienced light shower with thunder strikes.

The Met office in Dhaka told The Daily Star Online yesterday morning that the land depression is likely to be cleared by today.

A low pressure area has formed over Northeast Myanmar and adjoining Northeast India, according to its last weather forecast on Saturday. 

Monsoon axis runs through Rajasthan, centre of the low pressure; Bihar, Gangetic West Bengal and thence northeastwards to Assam across the central part of Bangladesh.

One of its associated troughs extends to northeast Bay. Monsoon is active over Bangladesh and is moderate to strong elsewhere over north Bay, the Met office said.