A strong storm with heavy rain and wind hit several areas of Panchagarh district, including parts of the district town, Sadar upazila, and Boda upazila, on Monday night.
The storm, which lasted from around 9:30 pm to 10:00pm, damaged over 100 homes. Trees were uprooted and roads blocked, while electric poles and wires were brought down, causing power outages across the district.
As a result, many areas remained without electricity from 9:00pm from Monday until 12:00pm Tuesday.
Some of the worst-affected areas included Mosjidpara, Kamatpara, Dokropara, Ramer Danga, and Rajnagar (Notunbosti) in Panchagarh town; Buriban and Maladam in Dhakkamara Union; Sipai Para in Magura Union; and Shikarpur, Telipara, Jagannathpara, and Dangapara in Boda’s Benghari Bongram Union.
During a visit on Tuesday morning, it was seen that a large jackfruit tree had fallen on the boundary wall of the Sadar Upazila Land Office near Panchagarh’s Chourangi intersection, damaging part of the wall.
In Buriban, an electric pole had fallen across the Panchagarh-Maladam road, blocking traffic. People were forced to take a detour through a nearby betel nut grove. Not far from there, two large, centuries-old banyan trees had fallen across the road, with another electric pole leaning dangerously.
In Sipai Para of Magura Union, a tin-roofed classroom from Magura Sipai Para High School was blown into a nearby cornfield. A tree also fell on the veranda of another school building, causing damage. Several homes belonging residents were destroyed.