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At least 15 people were injured after lightning struck them in remote Achham district in Nepal, which has been battered by a freak storm that has claimed 31 lives and left a trail of destruction.
The lightning struck far-West Achham district on Monday evening injuring 11 persons in Panchadewal Binayak area and four others in Ramaroshan Rural Municipality a day after the massive storm tore down houses, flipped vehicles and toppled trees and electricity poles in Southern Nepal.
Massive winds accompanied by hailstorms and rain struck Bara and the adjoining district of Parsa in the central Tarai region on Sunday evening killing at least 31 people and injuring 600 others.
Losses to the agricultural, industrial and energy sectors from Sunday night’s killer rainstorm are expected to total millions of rupees, officials said. Heavy rain and strong winds lashed the two districts
The Nepal Electricity Authority said its estimated losses could be around Rs 150 million due to the damage to the electricity distribution system in Bara and Parsa districts.
The Ministry of Agriculture said it had not ascertained the losses, but said they could run into millions of rupees.
According to the power utility, around 2,000 electricity poles were knocked down by the powerful rainstorm, disrupting electricity supply to parts of the southern Nepal districts.
Rehabilitation works were underway in the storm-hit districts. Dozens of houses have been collapsed leaving hundreds homeless.
Many of those who left the villages have moved to makeshift camps.
As food scarcity has hit the affected area, the people were living on biscuits, noodles and bread donated by the government and non-governmental organisations.
Power supply from India was disrupted as two transmission lines – 33 KV Birgunj- Regulae transmission line and 132 KV Raxaul-Parwanipur transmission line, were partially damaged by the storm, according to Nepal Electricity Authority sources.
