At least 8 people were injured and several hundred tin-roofed and thatched houses were damaged as a violent storm accompanied by rain and hail lashed different areas of Gangachhara upazila in Rangpur district early Sunday.According to sources rain and hailstorm which started at around 2 am continued for half an hour also damaged a huge quantity of fruit bearing mango and jackfruit trees, maize fields, pumpkin fields, vegetables and standing boro crops that started bearing sheaf in different fields of Charnohali, Fakirpara, Soudpara and some others areas of the upazila.
Rahmat, a farmer of Charnohali village said, he cultivated boro paddy on 2 bighas of land but the hailstorm damaged most of his crops. While saying this he broke into tears.
Farmers Hashem, Mokles and Sadek at Fakirpara villages who cultivated maize on several bighas of land said that hailstorm had shattered their hopes.
According to upazila agriculture office sources, during the hailstorm boro and other crops of some fields at different areas under the upazila have severely been affected. The amount of losses caused by the hailstorm could not be ascertained immediately, sources added.
Rangpur Correspondent
