UADAYAPUR, April 18: A heavy storm coupled with rainfall and lightning on Tuesday evening killed a person and injured five others in Udayapur district. It also damaged houses and caused losses worth millions of rupees.
Kalimaya Ale Magar, 37, of Katari Municipality-8 died after being struck by lightning at around 8 pm on Tuesday. According to the District Police Office (DPO), Udayapur, the lightning injured five more members of her family including her husband and children. All of them were inside their home at the time of the incident. Police informed Republica that Kalimaya died on the spot.
One killed, five injured in Taplejung lightning strike
The dead body has been taken to the district hospital for postmortem while the injured are undergoing treatment at a local health post. Police said that the storm affected the area for around one hour. The strong wind also blew away the roofs of many houses and damaged crops and fruits.
The wind blew off a wooden house of Kokai Das Chaudhary of Triyuga Municipality-3, causing losses more than Rs 150,000. A one-storey building of Divisional Urban Development Office was also destroyed by the wind. It caused losses more than Rs 300,000.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Chandradev Rai, chief of the DPO, informed Republica that the wind affected lives in all eight local units of the district. The locals were forced to stay in dark as electricity, which was disrupted by the storm, was supplied only after 1 pm on Wednesday. The strong wind uprooted electricity poles in several villages.
Preliminary investigation shows that fruits including mangoes, litchis, oranges and lemons were damaged in huge quantity. This has worried the farmers as the fruits and vegetables were the only source of income for many.
