Tornado kills 20,injures 200 in Orissa

More than 20 persons were feared killed and over 200 injured after a tornado wreaked devastation in 11 villages of five gram panchayats of coastal Kendrapara district.....

More than 20 persons were feared killed and over 200 injured after a tornado wreaked devastation in 11 villages of five gram panchayats of coastal Kendrapara district on Tuesday evening.

Kendrapara collector Shisirkanti Panda said that bodies of eight persons,including two children,have been recovered from 11 villages of Rajkanika block after a tornado coupled with thunder squalls ripped through houses at a speed of 200 km/hr tossing around electric poles,telephone wires,mobile towers and trees. The storm which started at around 4.45 pm lasted for about 10 minutes.

Kendrapara sub-collector Ranjan Kumar Das said the death toll might go up as reports of more bodies lying in some of the villages are reaching the district headquarters. Besides,the condition seven children and a couple of old persons,injured in the incident,is critical. They were undergoing treatment at the local Rajkanika hospital and Aul hospital.

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The tornado damaged 300 houses,uprooted a large number of trees and toppled electric poles. Thatched roofs,asbestos and corrugated iron sheets were thrown up into the sky like bits of paper. Some of the hardest hit areas included Gobindapur,Baghabuda,Sebasahi,Nuasahi,Achyutpur,Ganja and Arasa. The Rajkanika tehsil office was damaged,the office jeep was reportedly tossed four feet high.

Its difficult to reach the devastated areas as uprooted trees are blocking the path. The place is at least 65 kms away from district headquarters and it may take a while to reach the people. Fire brigades were rushed to service to rescue locals trapped in the debris. A team of Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force from Cuttack was dispatched to the area,but officials expressed doubts whether it could reach the affected area on time.