A nor'wester coupled with hailstorms swept several villages of Kaliganj upazila in Lalmonirhat on Wednesday night, damaging houses, trees and crops.
The storm, which began around 10:30pm, lasted for about one hour and left a trail of destruction in four unions of the upazila.
A number of educational institutions were also damaged, while hundreds of trees were uprooted during the storm, disrupting road communication on the Kakina-Chaparhat regional road.
Crops including mangoes, litchis, maize, paddy, nuts and jute suffered damages.
Besides, a number of electric poles were also uprooted, snapping power connections in four unions of the upazila.
Shimul Mia, a resident of the Tushbhandar area, said the storm began with light winds around 10:30pm and then intensified suddenly. "Within moments, roofs of houses were blown away and trees were uprooted," he said.
The worst-hit areas include several villages in Tushbhandar, Bhotmari, Kakina and Modati unions.
Saiful Islam, a farmer from Baninagar village in Tushbhandar union, said: “It started with a gentle breeze, but soon a powerful storm tore through. My entire home has been destroyed. Without government aid, I have no way to rebuild.”
Kaliganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Zakia Sultana visited the affected areas and said numerous homes and crops were damaged in Tushbhandar, Modati, Kakina and Bhotmari unions.
She added that a list of affected people is being prepared through local representatives and financial and humanitarian assistance will be provided accordingly by the upazila administration.
