A storm that struck Chapakhowa in Assam’s Tinsukia district early Tuesday killed a worker, damaged houses, blocked nearly a kilometre of National Highway 115 and disrupted electricity supply, according to a report by the Times of India.
The storm hit Sadiya around 2 am, uprooting trees, bringing down power lines and damaging residential structures. Shiva Shankar Shah, 47, who worked at a potato godown in Chapakhowa, was trapped after a tree collapsed onto the building. He later died.
Shah, a resident of Dhola, is survived by his wife and two children. Residents began a rescue operation after hearing the impact of the tree and the collapse. The operation took place in darkness after the power supply was disrupted.
A resident quoted in the report said it took about half an hour to pull Shah from beneath the debris because there was no electricity at the site. The fallen trees and blocked road also prevented an ambulance from reaching the location.
Residents instead arranged a private vehicle to take Shah to hospital. Another resident said they waited 15 to 20 minutes for a doctor to arrive, but Shah had already died by then.
The storm also affected road connectivity in the area. Trees fell across nearly one kilometre of NH-115, halting traffic and leaving commuters stranded. The highway is a key road connection for the Sadiya area, making the obstruction an immediate transport disruption for local residents and other road users.
Several houses in Tupsinga village were damaged after strong winds tore away tin roofs. One family escaped after its house was damaged and took shelter in a neighbouring home, which was also affected by the storm.
The incident highlights how a single severe-weather event can simultaneously affect buildings, electricity supply, emergency access and road movement in smaller urban and semi-urban settlements. In Chapakhowa, the power outage made the rescue more difficult, while the blocked highway delayed access to medical care.
The Times of India report did not provide details on the extent of the power outage, the number of damaged structures, the status of debris clearance on NH-115 or any official assessment of the storm. It also did not report an official statement from district authorities or electricity and road agencies.
The immediate response described in the report was led by local residents, who attempted the rescue, arranged transport to hospital and helped accommodate a family whose home had been damaged. Further official information on road restoration, power restoration and damage assessment was not available in the supplied report.
