Kolkata/Patna, April 14: At least 104 people were killed — 66 in Bihar and 38 in West Bengal — when a powerful cyclonic storm, accompanied by intermittent bouts of lightning, struck the northern parts of these two eastern states shortly after midnight on Tuesday.

In Bihar, around 50,000 mud huts in Purnea, Araria and Kishenganj districts, three of the state’s poorest located around 300 km from Patna, were razed to the ground and hundreds of cattle and goats reported dead in the storm, with winds blowing at nearly 125 kmph. Acres of standing crops and communication networks were also badly damaged.
In West Bengal’s North Dinajpur district, the worst affected area, besides the 38 reported dead till the time of going to press, over 100 others were said to be injured. Over 50,000 houses had collapsed and thousands of trees and electric poles uprooted, said state civil defence minister Srikumar Mukherjee, “The velocity of the wind was above 120 kmph, and though it lasted for only 25 minutes, it caused massive destruction in four blocks — Raiganj, Kaliaganj, Hemtabad and Karandighi.”
The storm was the first to hit eastern Bihar in 28 years, evoking both consternation and compassion from the Nitish Kumar government in the state, which announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 1.5 lakh (Rs 1 lakh from the state government and Rs 50,000 from the chief minister’s relief fund) to each dead person’s family. The government also promised houses to all those whose dwellings had been flattened. Mr Nitish Kumar rushed by helicopter to Purnea, the worst-affected district where 40 people died, soon after being informed of the tragedy. He directed the three district administrations to immediately send officials to far-flung affected areas to supervise relief distribution — of  rice and tarpaulin sheets — and to evaluate the loss.
The boundary wall and some inner walls of the district jail in Araria fell in the storm, causing panic among both prisoners and jail staff in the night, but there were neither casualties nor any attempt by prisoners to flee. The jail’s 700 inmates are currently in the process of being shifted to jails in Bhagalpur and Purnea for security reasons, officials in Patna said.
In West Bengal, meanwhile, Mr Srikumar Mukherjee held emergency meetings with district officials. “Not only mud houses but even pucca houses did not escape its wrath. The entire communication network and power supply collapsed. Landlines and mobile phones are not working. We are trying to maintain a semblance of contact with district officials through the police wireless,” he said.
Most of the casualties were due to houses collapsing. Some others were also crushed to death by falling trees. State tourism minister Manab Mukherjee, health secretary Samar Ghosh and IGP (North Bengal) K.L. Tamta also reached the storm-hit region. “The number of injured could not be confirmed as many are still feared trapped under uprooted trees and collapsed houses,” Mr Tamta said.
The meteorological office in Kolkata has also sent an inspection team to ascertain the nature of the storm which caused destruction of such magnitude. It has predicted more nor’westers in North Bengal in the next 24 hours.

Age Correspondents