Hailstorm damages crops on vast areas in northern dists
A house at Mazadanga village in Dinajpur Sadar upazila lies ravaged, below, a field at Rajagaon in Thakurgaon Sadar upazila gets covered with ice balls as hailstorm wreaked havoc in vast areas of the northern region 'on Wednesday afternoon. Photo: STAR
Hailstorm hit several northern districts on Wednesday afternoon killing at least one person and damaging crops including vegetables on vast areas. The storm lashed Dinajpur district on Wednesday afternoon killing one person and injuring at least seven others in different upazilas, reports our correspondent. The deceased was identified as Habibar Rahman, 60, of Narabari village in Biral upazila. The 10-15 minute storm also flattened wheat and other crops on about 7,400 hectares, according to the district DAE official. Sekendar Ali, deputy director of DAE said mustard, vegetables and wheat were badly hit at Biral, Shetabganj, Chirirbandar, Parbatipur and Dinajpur Sadar upazilas. Besides, a few trees were uprooted while over a hundred mud houses damaged. In Nilphamari, winter vegetables and tobacco on about 350 hectares were damaged as a storm accompanied with hails lashed at least 12 unions of Sadar, Domar and Jaldhaka upazilas on Wednesday. Farmers and DAE sources said severe storms along with heavy hails were reported from Chaora Barogachha, Gorgram, Khoksha Bari, Palashmari and Tupamari unions of Sadar upazila, Harin Chara, Sonarai, Jorabari and Bhogdabari of Domar upazila and Golmunda, Kaimari, Jaldhaka municipality of Jaldhaka upazila, reports our correspondent. The storm continued for about half an hour and damaged mustard, wheat, cabbage, tomato, peeper, eggplant and other crops. The hails also damaged a huge area of tobacco fields in the affected villages. The storm lashed three upazilas in Gaibandha district damaging huge crops and over 50 dwelling houses, reports our correspondent. The affected upazilas are Sundarganj, Sadullapur and Gaibandha Sadar. Untimely rainfall also damaged huge stacks of bricks kept for baking at the brickfields in those upazilas. A severe hailstorm also hit many villages in different upazilas of Thakurgaon and Panchagarh districts on Wednesday afternoon, reports our Thakurgaon correspondent. Several hundred houses, scores of educational institutions and wheat, maize, mustard, green chili, vegetables, watermelon and pulse on over 20,000 hectares were badly damaged in those districts, DAE sources said. In Thakurgaon, rainfall followed by a severe hailstorm lashed different villages under Ranishankoil, Haripur, Baliadangi and Sadar upazilas for 15 minutes. Besides crops, it badly damaged several hundred earthen and thatched houses. The storm also uprooted electric poles and fruit bearing trees. Power supply remained suspended for several hours. As many as 70 farmers, who were working in the fields, were injured, sources said. In Panchagarh, moderate rain since morning turned into a hailstorm in the afternoon. Moments before the hailstorm the sky in the whole area turned dark suddenly. Several hundred houses and crops on at least 4,000 hectares were badly damaged in Atwary, Boda, Panchagarh Sadar upazilas.
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