Patna: At least 44 people were killed and 100 others injured as a heavy storm with rain and hail swept through northern and northeastern districts of Bihar , destroying property, including standing crops, worth crores of rupees on Tuesday night.

With the meteorological department not issuing any alert, the districts caught unawares included Madhepura , Katihar, Saharsa , Madhubani, Darbhanga , Samastipur, Sitamarhi and Bhagalpur. The worst hit was, however, Purnia district , 320km east of Patna, where the winds blowing at a speed of 65-70kmh claimed at least 32 lives, including 17 under the Dagarua block areas alone.

Madhepura reported six deaths, said Kosi divisional commissioner Sudhir Kumar on Wednesday evening. While three people died in Madhubani, two died in Darbhanga district and one in Saharsa district. Most of the deaths were caused by tin roofs that were blown off of poor people's huts. The storm hit at 7.05pm and subsided before daybreak.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar announced compensation even before he flew for an aerial survey of the areas on Wednesday. While a minimum compensation of Rs 4,300 each will be given to the injured, the bereaved families will get Rs 4 lakh each. For loss of crop and dwelling, compensation would be paid immediately after receiving recommendation, CM Kumar said and added there was no prior warning about the hailstorm. He said he spoke to Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday and sought central grants for relief and rescue operations in the weather-ravaged districts of the state.

Reports from Purnia said at least 80 people were reported injured till Wednesday evening. Katihar DM Prakash Kumar said several blocks of his district were also badly hit though there were no reports of casualties.

Thousands of trees were uprooted, power lines snapped, huts blown away and crops like maize, wheat, pulses and mango and litchi destroyed. Road communication has also been hit as uprooted trees have blocked several stretches.

“The extent of damages will be known only after we reach all the affected areas. The death toll may rise as rescue workers are still trying to access some of the storm-hit areas which have been cut off,” said Bihar’s disaster management principal secretary Vyasji. The DMs concerned have been directed to quickly undertake a survey of the damages and submit their reports.

Indian Meteorological Department’s Patna-based director A K Sen said Madhubani and Sitamarhi districts experienced hail storms. “If we go by the extent of damages, the winds blew at no less than 80kmh in all the affected areas of the state,” he said and added, however, the weather equipment showed the velocity was 65-70kmh.

The deadly storm could not have come at a worse time. The state is already grappling with damages to crops done by unseasonal rain this year – before the tragic Tuesday. “Crops in an area of about 14 lakh hectares were damaged due to cold wave, unseasonal rains and hailstorm in Bihar which also claimed 20 lives in February-March this year,” CM Kumar told the state assembly on Wednesday. He later told newsmen the state government has already sanctioned Rs 1760-crore input subsidy to the farmers affected by the vagaries of nature in February and March.

