Nor’wester damages 1,000 houses in Moulvibazar

Around 1,000 dwelling houses were damaged as nor’wester lashed three upazilas in Moulvibazar on Sunday.

The affected upazilas are Kamalganj, Kulaura and Rajnagar.

The storm, which started around 5:00pm and lasted for about 30 minutes, destroyed crops, houses and shops and uprooted hundreds of trees, said locals.

In the storm, roads and rail lines were also damaged. Apart from this, electricity supply remained snapped.

Sima Begum, a resident of Potonushar area in Kamalganj upazila, said nor’wester swept through the area in the afternoon, flattening her house.

“The storm damaged my house badly and I’m now living in misery,” said Imam Ali of the same area.

Jewel Ahmed, mayor of Kamalganj municipality, said over 500 homesteads in the area have been destroyed in the storm.

Local administration along with the villagers has been working to normalize the road and rail communications.

Mobarak Hossain Sarkar, deputy general manager of Kamalganj Zonal office in the district rural power association, said in the storm, electricity lines got damaged at hundreds of spots. It will take several hours to repair the power lines.

Narayon Mallik, panel chairman of Potonushar Union Parishad (UP) in Kamalganj upazila, said the storm damaged 200 houses fully and 300 houses partially. At the time, a buffalo also died.

Kulaura Upazila Nirbahi Officer Abul Layes said the storm damaged around 100 houses in the area.

Najmul Haque, assistant stationmaster of Shamshernagar Railway Station, said a large number of trees fell on rail lines. Due to this, train service was suspended for four hours. After cleaning the rail lines, intercity train services resumed.

Public representatives and government officials visited the storm-hit upazilas to estimate the loss, said AKM Shafi Ahmed Salman, chairman of Kulaura Upazila Parishad.

Deputy Commissioner Tofail Islam said Kamalganj has been badly affected in the storm. They have already allocated 30 bundles of tin, Tk 1.30 lakh and 10 tonnes of rice for the upazila.

Meanwhile, two people were killed and three others injured in separate lightning strikes of Habiganj the same day.

The deceased were farmer Dengu Mia, 50, of Habiganj Sadar upazila, and Salma Akhter, 8, of Baniachang upazila.

The injured are the sons of Dengu Mia. They were admitted to Habiganj Sadar Hospital, said Moinul Haque Arif, chairman of Pail UP.

Salma was injured when a thunderbolt struck her. The incident took place when she was playing at her courtyard.

Critically injured Salma later died at the hospital.