Reuters
Dhaka
The death toll from high winds and heavy rain lashing northern Bangladesh rose to 41 after police and officials reported 17 more deaths in the past two days in storm damage, police and officials said yesterday.
Most of the deaths were in the north, 19 of them in the Bogra district, 230km (145 miles) from Dhaka, said Shafiqur Reza Biswas, Bogra’s chief district administrator.
The main causes of death were collapsing walls, falling trees, boats capsizing, lightning and electrocution, officials said. More than 200 people were injured while thousands of mud houses were damaged.
Officials said the storm also hit other parts of the country and could spread further.
“They died mostly after they were hit by falling trees or collapsed houses and walls,” he said, adding that authorities have sent emergency relief to thousands of villagers.
In neighbouring Rajshahi district, at least five people were killed and 27 injured as the storm hit a large stretch of low-lying land, another administrator said.
