Bhubaneswar: One person died and over 200 trees were uprooted as a high-velocity nor’wester struck Odisha’s Bhubaneswar Saturday evening, officials said.
The storms packing wind speeds of 89-100 kmph also damaged around 300 stalls erected for an international trade fair in the city, and electrical poles, they said.
One person died and another was injured when a truck hit a motorcycle at Rasulgahg Chhak in Mancheswar police station area, after the driver lost control of the heavy vehicle due to the strong winds, a police officer said.
Officials at the Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar said the nor’wester continued for more than 30 minutes from around 3.30 pm.
Fire Services teams were deployed to clear the uprooted trees blocking roads in several parts of the city, another official said.
The nor’wester also brought down the temperature in the city by around 14 degrees Celsius, he said. The maximum temperature in Bhubaneswar hovered around the 40-degree Celsius mark before the storm.
The Meteorological Department has also advised residents to remain alert, as similar thunderstorm activity may continue in parts of the state over the coming days.