A strong windstorm followed by heavy rainfall on Sunday morning destroyed as many as 148 houses in Janakpur Sub-metropolitan City of Dhanusha district, resulting in massive property loss.

According to Satrughna Shah, ward chairman of Janakpur Sub-metropolitan City-1, the disaster mostly affected Musahari Tole, Wakil Tole, Mills area and Pulchowk. Most of the houses damaged or destroyed by the windstorm were made of mud with zinc sheet roofs.

The disaster also killed nearly 6,000 chickens when a poultry farm was flattened by the high speed wind.

Manoj Sah, the farm owner, said the windstorm caused him a loss of nearly Rs3 million.  

Nagarain, Baghchauda and Hanspur, among other places in Dhanusha, were also hit by the windstorm, according to Superintendent of Police Shekhar Kharel of District Police Office.

“We are still collecting the details of damage caused by the storm,” Kharel said.

In Nagarain Municipality-5, locals said the storm killed Rampati Mukhiya and Mahabir Das, both 65-year-old.

SP Kharel, however, claimed that the two persons had died of natural causes.

Earlier on March 31, a devastating windstorm had ripped through various parts of Bara and Parsa districts in Province 2, killing 28 persons and rendering thousands of people homeless.