Storm kills three, damages many houses in Tripura

Agartala, April 8 (IANS) At least three people, including a child and a government school teacher, were killed and two injured as a cyclonic storm accompanied by rains lashing several parts of Tripura since Friday left behind a trail of destruction, officials said here Sunday.

"Three people, including a child and a government school teacher, were killed in separate incidents of electrocution and lightning in western, southern and northern Tripura," a senior official told reporters.

Government school teacher Keshab Basu, 43 was struck by lightning when he was returning home at Belonia in southern Tripura while a labourer Joymoni Orang, 55, was hit by thunder and lightning when he was working at a paddy field at Katlamara in western Tripura.

A six-year-old boy was electrocuted when live electrical wires snapped by the cyclonic storm struck him at Dharmanagar in northern Tripura.

Three more people, including a woman, were wounded in these incidents and have been shifted to government hospitals, the official said. All the incidents took place Saturday evening.

The pre-monsoon rains accompanied by strong winds and hailstorm, also damaged more than 500 houses and killed many head of cattle across Tripura during the past three days.

Hundreds of trees, telephone and electric poles were uprooted in the seasonal squall and also severely affected the movement of vehicles.

"Civil defence workers and district officials are busy providing relief. Telecommunications and power corporation personnel are working to restore communication lines and power supply," said an official of the relief department.

The met office in Agartala has predicted more rain and cyclonic storm in the next 48-hours.