Balangir: Thunderstorm claimed the lives of two persons as a large tree got uprooted and fell on a moving auto-rickshaw at Kansabahal Chhak near Athgaon in Odisha’s Balangir district on Friday.
A passenger and the driver of three-wheeler were killed after the huge Neem tree fell on the vehicle. The victims were identified as Nandya Nanda, while the driver’s identity was yet to be ascertained.
Sources said Nanda was travelling in the auto-rickshaw from Tandamunda to Kansbahal on Athgaon Road near Balangir town when a severe Kalabaisakhi storm struck the area. The tree got uprooted due to gusty surface wind and fell on the vehicle, crushing Nanda and the auto driver to death on the spot.
After the storm subsided, locals informed the Puintala police and fire service personnel, who rushed to the spot and cut down the tree to recover the bodies. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination.
