Koshi, Madhes hit hard by hailstorms, winds

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Mar. 18: Hailstorms and powerful winds have caused massive damage in Koshi and Madhes Provinces, killing at least two people.

The strong winds accompanied by rain and hailstorms have caused damage to private houses, public infrastructure and crops across several districts of these provinces, with losses running into millions of rupees.

In Gaighat of Udayapur district, a 64-year-old man was killed and five others, including a child, were injured after a tree fell over a house during a windstorm in Katari Municipality-5, on Monday evening.

The deceased has been identified as Birendra Chaudhary, the house owner. He was declared dead at Katari Hospital, police said. 

A five-year-old girl trapped in the debris was rescued after about an hour, while the injured are undergoing treatment.

In Taplejung, more than a dozen houses and public structures were damaged by storms on Sunday and Monday, causing an estimated loss of Rs. 7.55 million, police said.

Superintendent of Police Bed Prasad Gautam said the windstorms, accompanied by rainfall, damaged houses, sheds and ward offices in different parts of the district.

In Sunsari, hailstorms accompanied by strong winds on Monday night damaged maize, wheat and vegetable crops, leaving farmers worried. 

Farmer Shambhu Yadav said crops, including maize, wheat, lentils and vegetables, were affected in areas such as Inaruwa, Babia, Jalpapur, Madhesa, Ramnagar Bhutaha, Basantpur and parts of Dewanganj.

Similarly, in Khotang, storms caused damage worth over Rs. 10 million after the roofs of around 50 houses and several school buildings were blown away. 

Police said the storms, which lasted from Sunday afternoon until night, also disrupted electricity and communication services, making it difficult to collect detailed damage reports. 

The worst-affected areas include Halesi Tuwachung Municipality, where multiple settlements reported severe damage.

The storm also damaged infrastructure, including a repeater tower of Halesi FM 102.4 MHz in Diktel Rupakot Majhuwagadhi Municipality, disrupting radio broadcasts. Two nearby electricity poles were also brought down.

In Sarlahi, strong winds on Monday evening flattened maize crops that were nearing harvest. Farmers complained that crops grown with significant investment in fertiliser, irrigation and labour were destroyed within minutes.

Similarly, in Ilam, strong winds on Monday evening caused significant damage in various parts of the Ilam district. The storm, which lasted from 4 pm to 10 pm, blew off the roofs of local houses and knocked down electricity poles, resulting in major losses.

Chief District Officer of Ilam, Laxman Dhakal, said that Maijogmai Rural Municipality and Deumai Municipality were among the worst-affected areas. He added that the process of collecting detailed damage reports is ongoing. 

Rudra Ghimire, President of the Antu Tourism Entrepreneurs’ Association, said the storm also caused heavy damage in the tourist area of Antu in Suryodaya Municipality. Tin roofs of houses were blown away in many places.

Electricity supply across the district has been disrupted since Monday evening after power poles were brought down by the storm. 

Chief of the Nepal Electricity Authority, Ilam, Rewati Kumar Chaudhary, said the outage was caused after poles of the 33 kVA transmission line collapsed. Efforts are underway to clear fallen trees that have damaged power lines and poles.

(With inputs from Chandra Pandak in Taplejung, Prem Adhikari in Ilam, Jaya Krishna Yadav in Inaruwa, Rajkumar Bhattarai in Khotang, Bhaktibilas Pokharel in Udayapur, and Janarjan Khatri, Sarlahi.)