REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, DHAKA -- At least nine people were killed and scores of others injured as a severe nor'wester lashed parts of Bangladesh on Saturday night for hours.
Of the deceased, three including a child were killed in Bogra district, some 197 km northwest of Dhaka, while another three in Rajshahi district, some 256 km west of the capital city.
Nor'wester also reportedly wrecked havoc in many villages of Naogaon, Natore and Pabna districts for about one hour on Saturday night.
Three more people have reportedly been killed and 50 others injured in the rural villages of the nort-western districts in lightnings, wall collapses and in destructions uprooting hundreds of trees.
In capital Dhaka two rickshaw pullers were injured as billboards and tree branches fell on them during the Nor'Wester at about 8:00 pm local time on Saturday night.
Dozens of people have also reportedly been injured elsewhere in the country due to the Nor'wester which is known as a type of storm in Bangladesh and adjacent portions of India where it occasionally occurs in the spring.
TV reports showed the storm left a tail of destruction uprooting hundreds of trees and flattened many tin and mud-built houses in the districts and many other Bangladesh places and snapping road and rail communication with affected areas.
The storm, however, came as a bless for millions of Dhaka dwellers who heaved a sigh of relief with a light drizzle after days of heat wave swept through the country.
Bangladesh is affected by severe tornadoes and storms from March to mid-May ahead of the four-month-long wet monsoon season.