8 killed as thunderstorm hits places [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

8 killed as thunderstorm hits places

Local February 25, 2016

At least eight people were killed – two minor girls in wall collapse in Narsingdi and six labours in trawler capsize in Narayanganj – and 13 were injured at Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka as an early thunderstorm coupled with hailstorm hit places.
Deceased Chumki, 9, and her younger sister Bithi, 7, were sitting by their house wall that collapsed on them when the thunderstorm struck Noapara in Narsingdi at about 12:30pm, New Age correspondent in Narsingdi reported.
In sudden thunderstorm, six workers in an earth carrying vessel went missing after it sank into the water being hit by an empty vessel at the confluence of Buriganga and Dhaleshwari rivers in Narayanganj.
Later, fire service divers recovered the bodies of the missing workers from the bulkhead at about 10:00pm.
Twenty-four workers, however, could swim ashore, Sirajul Islam of the sunken vessel said, adding that the empty vessel hit MV Rahmatullah Express as the sailor lost control in the storm.
At least 13 nurses of community health clinic in a demonstration were injured being hit by hailstorm at the central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka. They were in a hunger strike demanding nationalisation of their jobs.
The thunderstorm followed by heavy rainfall also disrupted power supply, road and water communications as well as telecommunications for several hours with intervals in Barisal, Khulna, and Dhaka and adjacent districts.
Over half an hour-rainfall accompanied by hailstorm almost disrupted the capital’s traffic system.
Water logging in busy areas, like Farmgate, Paltan, Malibagh, Kakrail and Mirpur caused huge suffering to the city dwellers for several hours after the rainfall.
Power supply was disrupted in many areas of Dhaka including Dhanmondi, Paltan, Old Town, Shampur and Matuail.
Dhaka Power Distribution Company managing director in charge Md Ramiz Uddin Sarker said that the supply situation became normal at about 5:00pm.
Meteorologist Ruhul Kuddus said that it was an unusual natural event caused by continuous rise in temperature.
‘It would become normal from tomorrow [Thursday],’ he said.
Met office said that a 10-minute thunderstorm accompanied by hailstorm lashed several places in the capital and its surrounding areas at about 11:50am. Another spell of thunderstorm hit the capital after two hours.
Hit by the storm, the main gate and boundary fence of the Supreme Court collapsed. A giant tree was uprooted at in front of Kakrail church obstructing traffic movement.
At Bangla Academy and Suhrawardy Udyan, at least 40 stalls of Amar Ekushey Book Fair were damaged by storm and rain.
The book fair committee deferred opening of Wednesday’s fair to 4:00pm because of storm.
Light to moderate rainfalls were reported from several places of the country from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning.
Met office recorded 61 millimetres of rainfall in Chittagong, 42mm rainfall occurred in Sitakundu, 14mm in Srimangal, 30mm in Feni, 17mm in Comilla, 47mm in Madaripur, 23mm in Khulna and 70mm rainfall in Satkhira until 6:00am.
The Met office also hoisted warning signal-2 in the inland river ports of Dhaka, Tangail, Faridpur, Jessore, Kushtia, Khulna, Barisal, Patuakhali, Noakhali, Comilla and Chittagong while signal-1 was hoisted in the river ports of Rajshahi, Pabna, Bogra, Mymensingh and Sylhet.