At least three persons were killed and another was injured when a temporary tent house in which they were resting collapsed during a nor’wester (Kalbaisakhi) that hit Odisha’s Keonjhar district on Thursday afternoon, police said.
According to local officials, strong winds accompanied by rain lashed Naranpur, bringing down a temporary tent structure where workers were present at the time. Rescue teams launched operations and pulled out those trapped beneath the collapsed structure.
The deceased were identified as Alok Chipindia, Sagar Nayak and Petu Nayak, all associated with Maa Tarini Tent House, an official said, adding that the injured worker was admitted to a nearby hospital and was reported to be in critical condition.
The official said the victims were working at the site when the sudden storm hit, leaving little time to escape as the structure caved in under the force of gusty winds.
Condoling the deaths, Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced an ex gratia of ₹4 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased.
This comes barely two months after a tornado battered parts of Mayurbhanj district on March 15, killing at least three persons in Karanjia block and injuring several others. Hundreds of houses were damaged while electricity poles were uprooted.
At least five people were killed in separate lightning and storm-related incidents across Odisha in April as gusty winds and thunderstorms disrupted normal life in districts including Balasore, Bhadrak and Keonjhar. Several areas reported damage to crops, snapped power lines and temporary structures.
Meteorologist Sarat Sahoo said the number of nor’westers has been quite low this season. “Due to lack of enough Nor’westers the state is seeing a major heatwave. Dry, hot winds from the northwest are penetrating interior and western Odisha, pushing temperatures up by 3 to 4 degrees,” he said.
