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Many people have been rendered homeless, hundreds are injured, and at least 15 people are reported dead as a tornado swept through 11 villages in Rajkanika block in Orissa
Fifteen people are dead, more than 250 injured, and property destroyed in 11 villages in Rajkanika block, Kendrapara district, Orissa, as a tornado ripped through the area on March 31, 2009. The 15 minutes of mayhem -- from 4.30 pm to 4.45 pm (some reports say it lasted an hour) -- saw boats and cars being hurled to the ground, debris strewn about, and trees uprooted. Eyewitnesses recalled seeing a tractor and its driver hurled 20 feet into the air! In many places, clothes and parts of thatched roofs were found stuck to treetops. Official sources said 700 houses in around 13 villages in five gram panchayats were damaged. The block office and post office in Rajkanika were also destroyed. According to preliminary reports at least 15 people have been killed; a search is on for four missing persons. The worst hit villages have been Ganja, Baghabuda, Gobindapur, Muneidiha, Ustia, Barda, Taila and Dalikanda, all thickly populated and close to the Bhitarkanika National Park. The area is about 15 km from the coast. In Ganja village, which was directly in the path of the tornado, concrete roofs were ripped off and flung 25-30 feet away, even as thatched houses were demolished, rendering hundreds homeless. A BBC correspondent reported that the plight of the injured was made worse because the local hospital at Rajkanika is simply not equipped to handle so many people. Many had to be rushed to hospitals in nearby towns. Power lines and communication networks are affected, making rescue operations that much more difficult. The district administration has started free kitchens in the affected villages. Compensation of Rs 1 lakh for the families of the dead has been announced. The injured will receive between Rs 50,000 and Rs 2,500 each depending on the severity of their injuries. Though not unknown, tornados are uncommon in the area. A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is often visible as a funnel cloud, with recorded wind speeds of 300 miles an hour. Experts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) are still assessing the nature of the Rajkanika tornado. People said there was no prior warning of stormy weather and so they were taken completely by surprise. Source: Express Buzz, April 2, 2009
BBC News, March 31, 2009
IBN Live, April 2, 2009
The Hindu, April 1, 2009
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