Kolkata: A sudden storm in Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district on March 31 killed five people and injured 500, damaging hundreds of houses.
The storm is being reported as a ‘cyclone’ by some news outlets and a nor’wester – the season’s first – by others. Among worst affected are the Dhupguri and Maynaguri areas.
As many as 170 injured people were admitted at the Jalpaiguri Medical College and Hospital. Around 200 were rushed to Maynaguri hospital and around 100 were being treated at Barnesh health centre, Hindustan Times has reported.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has travelled to the area and purportedly met the families of all those who were killed in the storm. Banerjee told local media that a child had to be brought to a Kolkata hospital for treatment.
Supporters of the Trinamool Congress have shared multiple posts on social media lauding Banerjee for her presence in the affected areas.
State opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, too, will send representatives to the area today, it has been reported. Among them is Suvendu Adhikari.
