Death toll from storm in Bara, Parsa rises to 29

A view of human settlement damaged by the storm accompanied by hailstorms and rain in Pheta area of Bara district, on Monday, April 1, 2019. Photo: Ram Sarraf/THT

KATHMANDU: The total number of casualties in Bara-Parsa storm has reached 29 while over 600 people have been injured.

According to our local correspondent Ram Sarraf, the official death toll as per the information disseminated by local authorities is 28 in Bara and one in Parsa.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanuram Bhattarai and SP Rewati Dhakal at Bara and Parsa district police offices confirmed the numbers.

Massive winds accompanied by hailstorms and rain struck Bara and the adjoining district of Parsa late on Sunday evening.

It has been reported that many people were either killed after getting buried under rubbles of houses and metal roofs that flung all over the settlements, or after coming under the electric pylons and trees that were uprooted as the disaster advanced.

According to Province 2 Attorney General Dipendra Jha, majority of the injured are from Pheta and Bhulahi Bharwaliya areas in Bara’s Pheta Rural Municipality, which have mostly been affected by the hailstorm.

Meanwhile, the injured are undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Bara and Parsa districts including Birgunj-based National Medical College and Narayani Sub-regional Hospital, Jha added.

The estimates of infrastructural damages incurred in the disaster are yet to be ascertained as the storm has damaged hundreds of houses, electric pylons, while uprooted trees have obstructed the roads and highways.

The storm also damaged over 12 passenger buses that were parked along the roadside during the incident, police added. The natural disaster also led to a power outage last night while the internet services have resumed in the affected districts.

Security agencies including two battalions of Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force of Nepal have been mobilised to carry out rescue and relief operation in the affected areas, according to Bara’s Chief District Officer (CDO) Rajesh Poudel.

Province 2 emergency cabinet meeting held, relief announced

An emergency meeting of Province 2 Council of Ministers held this morning has decided to provide Rs 300,000 to each victim’s family along with relief package including tents, food items, medical supplies, among others.

Further, the province government has urged the health institutions to provide free treatment to the injured. The shortage of blood supplies has been taken care of at the moment while medical supplies are also well-stocked.

The Province 2 government has urged the central government to declare a state of emergency in the affected areas.

PM puts off programmes at home-district, heads off to storm-hit areas

Meanwhile, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has put off his pre-scheduled programmes at his home district, Jhapa. According to PM’s Press Advisor Kundan Aryal, the PM is headed to Bara to take stock of the disaster.

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