Storms affect power, transport in Mizoram, Tripura

Seasonal cyclonic rain storms have affected power supply and surface transport in Mizoram and Tripura since Thursday, officials said on Friday.

Damage to houses, crops and vehicles was also reported while at least 10 people were injured in the two states.

A large part of Tripura and Mizoram remained in the dark as power transmission lines snapped and surface communication with several districts remained cut off for many hours due to heavy rains coupled with strong winds.

Engineers and workers have been working round-the-clock to restore both electric supply and vehicular movement in the two states.

"Heavy rains accompanied by strong winds since Thursday, triggered landslides in the National Highway 44 that connects Tripura with the rest of the country by road," said an official in the disaster management centre in Agartala.

He said many houses, small cars, two-wheelers and road-side shops were damaged when trees got uprooted and fell on them.

Tripura's power department officials said the electricity transmission lines, which imports power from the northeastern grids in Assam were damaged, affecting electricity supply in many parts of the state.

"Our engineers and workers are working hard to restore the power supply at the earliest," a power department official said.

The pre-monsoon rains accompanied by strong winds and hailstorm damaged more than 200 houses and standing seasonal crops and vegetables in different parts of Tripura.

Seven people who were hurt in these cyclone related incidents have been shifted to government hospitals, a south Tripura district official said.

Hundreds of trees, telephone and electric poles were uprooted in the squalls, affecting the movement of vehicles in the cyclone-affected areas.

In Mizoram, the pre-monsoon thunderstorm, accompanied by massive hailstorm and strong wind, have left trails of destruction in various parts of the state since Thursday night, disaster management and rehabilitation department official said.

The hails, bigger than cricket ball in size, have hit many villages in the mountainous state that borders Myanmar.

The official said hundreds of houses, specially those are tin-roofed and bamboo made houses were damaged in different parts of the state and three people were injured in Mamit and Lunglei districts.

"The extent of damage caused by the hailstorm and cyclonic rains would be known only after receipt of detailed reports from the affect districts," the official said.

Tripura's meteorological department director Dilip Saha told IANS: "The seasonal Nor'wester (cyclonic rainstorm) would continue till the onset of monsoon next month. The recurring Nor'wester is now active in entire eastern and northeast India and few other places in the country."

The four-month-long (June-September) southwest monsoon normally hit the northeast region first week of June and spells of rain followed in most parts of the region, comprising eight states.

According to physicists, the northeastern region is a lightning-prone area due to its topography. Lightning claims an average of 100 lives every year especially in March-May.