Four-month-old baby dead, 4 hurt as rain, strong winds wreak havoc in Odisha

MALKANGIRI: A four-month-old baby died and four persons sustained injuries as strong winds accompanied by rain due to the western disturbance caused extensive damage to property and ready-to-harvest crops in the district on Saturday night.

Sources said Ieta Madkami, his wife and baby girl were asleep when the wall of their kutcha house at Metaguda village in Podia block collapsed on them in the night. While the baby died on the spot, Ieta and his wife suffered injuries. On hearing their screams, villagers rushed to their house and took the injured couple to the local hospital.

On being informed about the incident, block development officer (BDO) of Podia Ranakrushna Nayak rushed to Metaguda village on Sunday to take stock of the situation. He, however, said the wall did not collapse due to rain. “Made up of raw bricks, the wall was weak and tilting to a side,” he added.

In a similar incident, 40-year-old Sushila Mondal and 10-year-old Aradhya Mondal of MPV-41 in Kalimela tehshil also suffered injuries after a wall and asbestos collapsed on them respectively.
Officials sources said several houses in MPV-41 have been damaged due to strong winds and uprooting of trees. Kalimela tehsildar Chainu Gond said preliminary investigation suggested that at least 30-35 houses in the village have suffered damages.

However, the extent of the damages will be known after a team, which is visiting the affected areas, submits its report. The administration has already started distributing polythene sheets to the affected people, Gond added.

Besides, the untimely rain damaged ready-to-harvest watermelon crops in Koilipari, MV-11, Durmaguda and other areas of the district. The watermelon crop will rot as the rainwater is yet to recede, said the affected farmers who are now in a state of panic. “We were expecting a bumper yield and sale during the summer season. But the inclement weather has ruined our hopes,” they rued.