Udala: Hailstorm wreaked havoc on several villages under this block in Mayurbhanj district Saturday night, leaving hundreds of people homeless.
The roofs of over 100 houses were blown away by gusty winds and strike of hail in Khaladi and Badasingaria panchayats.
Locals said, “Nature unleashed its fury in two minutes and left a trail of destruction in our villages.”
Huge trees and utility poles have been uprooted at many places under the impact of the hailstorm. Many house suffered irreparable damage after trees fell on them. A man and his son were crushed to death at Dutikadeipur in Khaladi panchayat, after a big tree came crashing down on their house. Meanwhile, the bodies were handed over to the bereaved family after post-mortem at Udala hospital.
Besides, scores of shops set up at Saraswati fairground were blown away by the storm.
Some classrooms of Jagannath Vidyapeetha in Khaladi got damaged after trees fell on it.
According to reports, people of other villages like Begunaidiha, Chuliaposi, Tanakasahi and Sukuasahi also suffered damage due to the hailstorm.
Tehsildar Bijay Kumar Mallick said officials Sunday visited the affected villages and started assessing the damage. Polythene sheets and flattened rice were distributed among the affected families.
Fire brigade personnel started clearing trees which were lying uprooted on Udala-Jaypur-Balasore main road.
Moreover, 12 wards of Udala notified area council (NAC) have reported damage with electric wires and poles snapped and broken at several places.
Farmers suffered huge loss after their vegetables were damaged by the hailstorm. They demanded compensation for the loss after an assessment by the agriculture department. PNN
