A hut that was completely destroyed by the storm in Habibpur. Picture by Surajit Roy

Habibpur (Malda), July 17: A violent storm with eerie similarities to a tornado swept through five villages here yesterday, leaving 22 people injured and hundreds of huts flattened in its wake.

At least two men were picked up from the ground and thrown 50m away by the force of the storm, said eyewitnesses, while tin roofs danced in the sky like kites. All this happened within 10-12 minutes, they added.

Chuni Muddi, 60, of Shimuldanga village, around 40km from Malda town, said the storm struck around 4.30 pm. “I suddenly found the sky overcast with thick, black clouds. Within minutes, the mud houses and tin sheds were being sucked into a vortex shaped like the trunk of an elephant. We realised it was a haatisura,” said Muddi, using the local term for a tornado.

Shimuldanga was the worst hit, while Baidyapur, Pabnapara, Bahadurpur and Basatpur — all located within a 6km radius — suffered damages.

Habibpur block development officer Rajesh Kharkat, who visited the area today, also used the term “tornado” to describe the storm.

A senior Met official in Calcutta today said a team might be sent to Malda to gather information on the suspected tornado.

This is not Bengal’s first brush with the dreaded storm. On April 9, 1993, a tornado hit Danton in East Midnapore, killing 145 people.