An uprooted tree near Raj Bhavan in Patna on Monday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, May 23: Several parts of the city plunged into darkness as a squall little after midnight uprooted several electricity poles and snapped wires.

When the state capital residents were fast asleep at 1am, the squall hit the city at a speed of 66kmph. Showers followed.

Large billboards and electric poles came crashing down at many places. Countless trees were uprooted. A huge tree fell down on the premises of Raj Bhavan.

Mrityunjay Kumar, a resident of Buddha Colony said: “My family and I were sleeping. All of a sudden, the main door of my house started banging. I was scared assuming it was a theft attempt. When I rushed to the balcony, I realised a thunderstorm was brewing.”

The power at Mrityunjay’s home snapped at 1am. It was not restored till noon.

“I don’t know what is the problem with the electricity supply,” Mrityunjay said.

Damaged electricity lines sparked prolonged power cuts in different parts of the town. The worst-affected areas were Ashiana Nagar, Rajabazaar, Bailey Road, IGIMS Colony, Boring Road, SK Puri, AN College, New Patliputra, Alpana Market, Rajiv Nagar, AG Colony, Indrapuri, Mahesh Nagar, Patel Nagar, Kesri Nagar, Veterinary Colony, Rajendra Nagar, Kankerbagh, Anisabad, Nala Road and Ashok Rajpath.

Bihar State Electricity Board public relations officer Hare Ram Pandey said western Patna, including Bailey Road, Digha, Khagaul and Danapur, were the worst-affected. “The storm damaged the Canal feeder, Danapur feeder, Khagaul feeder and grid sub-station. The damage caused by the storm stood at Rs 9.29 crore. The storm also affected power supply in Muzaffarpur and Purnea for about seven to eight hours.”

Besides power cuts, the midnight rain played spoilsport in laying of sewer lines. Slush from the dug up spots overflowed into streets.

The duty officer in the Met department, P.K. Das, told The Telegraph the speed of the thunderstorm was 66kmph for two minutes (1.03am to 1.05am). The city experienced around 12mm rainfall. He also said the squall brought down the temperature by 6°C.

Storm and rain had lashed the city last Thursday and Saturday.