Two Dead In Cyclonic Storm In Malda

Two persons died in a cycloninc storm that hit Malda district of West Bengal this morning and damaged standing crops and a large number of houses.District Magistrate Tanmoy Chakraborty said the storm struck around 6 am and damaged houses and crops at Habibpur, Bamangola, Gazole, Chanchal 2 block and Ratua.

The two men died due to collapse of mud walls and a number of people were injured, he said.

A 60-year-old died in the storm at Bagdighi in Gazole while guarding a pond. The other person to die was a 10-year-old resident of Bishanpur of Chanchal 2 block, he said.

Around 1000 houses have been totally damaged and another 10000 partly damaged in the calamity, which also devastated about 1000 hectares of maize, 5000 hectares of wheat, 1500 hectares of potato, 4250 hectares of boro paddy, 200 hectares of vegetables and 30 acres of horticultural crop, he said.

The injured were treated in local hospitals and tarpaulin and food was distributed among the affected.

Proposal for ex-gratia to the kin of the dead, compensation for crop and house damage is being sent to the state government, the district magistrate added.