Hailstorm kills 4

A sudden hailstorm twinned with gusty wind yesterday swooped on different regions of Bangladesh including Dhaka, leaving at least four people dead. In Sylhet, a passerby died when the tin roof of a house collapsed while a child drowned during the onslaught yesterday. Two died in Magura and Dinajpur after being hit by hailstones.


The sky changed its mood in the afternoon and the capital was covered by a black, dull and gloomy blanket of clouds. The city and surrounding areas were seemingly transformed with people caught in the thundershower and gusty winds ran for safety.

Flight operations at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport faced a snag due to squally weather yesterday, airport officials said. At least 50 people were injured in different parts of the country. Power connections were cut in many places of the country, sources said.

"We recorded light rain with wind speed of 67 kilometers per hour in the capital yesterday afternoon. Although it was light rain, city dwellers got a relief because of coolly weather is prevailing," an official of Met Office told reporters. In Dhaka, day workers, hawkers, rickshaw pullers and extremely poor people had no choice, but get soaked although it was also a relief from the heat. Firoz Mia, a three-wheeler rickshaw puller, told the Asian Age, "I got wet due to the thundershower. But I can't really go home now as I need to pull rickshaw till night to earn my bread."

However, some Dhaka residents who were enjoying the weekend holiday felt relieved after scorching heat for the past several days.A newly married couple said: "The rain is so romantic. We are enjoying a lot. The rain gave us a relief after a burning and tiring day.

On the other hand, a hailstorm coupled with rain lashed Panchagarh and Nilphamari on Friday, damaging crops and fruits on vast tracts of land.Besides these two districts, some other areas including Khulna, Rajshahi, Natore, Mymensingh, Netrokona and so on.

In Panchagarh, a violent hailstorm that swept a number of villages in Sadar upazila badly damaged mango and litchi buds and different crops.Locals said the hailstorm that struck early in the morning and ended 9:00am also damaged hybrid tomatoes and watermelons on a vast track of land during its fury.

Kamarjani, Kunderpara, Prodhaner Bazar, Jhakurer Bhita, Goghat, Kharjani, Dariapur, Karaibari, Counciler Bazar and Nayagani were among the worst-affected 19 villages under Haribhasa, Hafizabad and Kamat Kajoldighi unions.

In Nilphamari, the worst-affected unions are Zorabari, Gomanti, Bamunia, Bhogdaburi, Ketkibari unions under Domar upazila while Mirganj, Shimulbnari and Golna unions in Jaldhaka upazila and Khalishachapani and Naotara unions in Dimla upazila.

The power supply was disrupted for several hours as tree branches fell on the electric lines on Sayedpur-Nilphamari road due to storm, said Abu Sayed, executive engineer of North West Power Distribution Company.Rain, thundershowers and hailstorm accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind are likely to occur at a few places over Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions and at one or two places over Khulna, Dhaka and Chittagong divisions with hails at isolated places on Saturday.

Weather may remain mainly dry with temporary partly cloudy sky elsewhere over the country, according to a weather bulletin of Bangladesh Meteorological Department. Day and night temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country, it added.

-Imran Ali, AA