At least 11 killed as nor'wester lashes parts of Bangladesh

At least 11 people including four of a family were killed and scores of others injured as a severe nor'wester lashed parts of Bangladesh, officials said Monday. Of the deceased, seven were killed in northern Netrakona district, some 158 kilometers from the capital Dhaka, while four in Sunamganj district, some 296 km northeast of the capital city. "Seven people including four members of a family were killed and dozens injured as nor'wester tore through various parts of Netrokona district last night," Towhidul Islam, Netrokona's Kalmakanda sub-district administration chief, told Xinhua. "Nor'wester wrecked havoc in some villages of Netrokona district for about one hour on Sunday midnight, he said. "Nor'wester is known as a type of storm in Bangladesh and adjacent portions of India where it occasionally occurs in the spring. Officials said the storm also left a tail of destruction uprooting hundreds of trees and flattened many tin and mud-built houses in many other Bangladesh districts and snapping road and rail communication with affected areas. A Bangladesh Railway official said last night's storm was so powerful that it derailed nine compartments of a passenger train. "Thanks God, nobody died although some passengers were injured due to derailment of the compartments of the train which was bound for a northwestern district." The train compartments derailed and tilted on Bangladesh's longest Bangabandhu bridge linking the eastern part of the country with the north after a wind swept through the area Sunday night. The storm, however, came as a big bless for millions of Dhaka dwellers who heaved a sigh of relief with a light drizzle after two weeks of heat wave swept through the country. Dhaka dwellers Thursday experienced 40.7 degrees Celsius temperature, the highest in the past 54 years. Bangladesh is affected by severe tornadoes and storms from March to mid-May ahead of the four-month-long wet monsoon season.