A sudden bout of storm caused destruction in some areas of Falakata and Madarihat blocks and at Kamakhyaguri in Kumargram block in Alipurduar district on Saturday afternoon.
A woman died, and houses and private resorts were damaged when uprooted trees fell on the structures. Electric poles have been uprooted, knocking down the power supply at different places.
Bani Bose Dey, 32, who is from ward 1 of Alipurduar town, died when a tree fell on the car she was travelling in, along with three others. The incident occurred near Khudiram College in Kamakhyaguri.
Police and firemen took time to clear the tree and rescue the four passengers from the car.
They were brought to the district hospital here, where doctors pronounced Bani dead. The other three are under treatment. They were returning to Alipurduar from Kamakhyaguri, sources said.
In Madarihat, trees got uprooted and fell on cottages and other structures in private resorts. There were tourists in the accommodations, but no injuries have
been reported.
“The storm lasted for around 30 minutes and was so intense. We are gathering
information,” said Lalita Sarkar, the pradhan of Madarihat panchayat.
The storm also brought down trees on Asian Highway 48 in Madarihat and halted traffic. However, locals, along with the police, managed to remove the trees in half an hour.
At least 50 electric poles were damaged, and trees fell on power cables in Madarihat and Falakata blocks.