Cooch Behar: A powerful storm accompanied by hail and heavy rain lashed parts of North Bengal on Wednesday night, leaving one person dead and causing widespread damage to homes and agricultural land.
18-year-old Sujan Das was killed after a massive banyan tree was uprooted and fell on his grocery shop at Dwarikamari under Khagrabari-II Gram Panchayat in the Maynaguri block. His friend, Kajal Das, sustained serious injuries and is undergoing treatment at Maynaguri Hospital. The two were sleeping inside the shop when strong winds and a hailstorm struck, triggering the fatal incident.
Meanwhile, the storm wreaked havoc across several parts of the Cooch Behar district, damaging houses and devastating agricultural land, leaving many residents in distress.
The worst-affected areas include parts of the Mathabhanga I block, particularly under Jor Patki and Panchagarh Gram Panchayats. Several localities under the Cooch Behar South Assembly Constituency, including
Chandramari, Putimari, Phuleshwari, and Shivpur, reported significant destruction.
In the Cooch Behar North Assembly Constituency, especially under Gopalpur Gram Panchayat, large stretches of potato fields were destroyed, raising concerns among farmers. Gaur Das, a resident of Jor Patki, said: “Around two bighas of my tobacco crops have been completely destroyed. Repeated storms and hail have devastated the fields that sustain my family.”
Another resident, Sablu Mia, claimed that more than 100 families were affected and several houses damaged in the storm.