At least two persons went missing and five others were injured as strong winds accompanied by rain and thunder wreaked havoc in Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Thursday evening, officials said.
The strong winds, which lasted for about 15 minutes, left a trail of devastation in the district, they said.
A fisherman and a woman went missing in the Satiguda dam reservoir after their boats capsized due to the winds. They were identified as Govind Sardar and Tulasi Madhi of Bhima Rangini village in the district, police said.
Personnel of the fire services and ODRAF were searching for them in the reservoir.
Five labourers were injured, two of them critically, as the portion of an under-construction boundary wall of an airstrip collapsed, police said.
Several kutcha houses were damaged, trees were uprooted and electric wires snapped in different parts of the district, an official said.
District Collector Vishal Singh said fire services and ODRAF personnel have been asked to expedite the rescue and relief operation in the affected areas.
Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Satyabrata Sahoo directed the ODRAF teams in Koraput to rush to Malkangiri and assist in the operations.