At least five people were killed and 77 others injured as a nor'wester swept the country in the early hours of yesterday.

The storm accompanied by thundershower also damaged crops and thatched houses besides uprooting hundreds of trees.

Power supply in different parts of the country, including Fatullah industrial belt and its adjoining areas, were snapped by the squalls.

The deaths so far reported were one each from Bogra and Barguna and three from Kurigram districts.

In Narayanganj, power supply was also snapped after Fatullah Power Sub-station tripped following lightning early yesterday morning.

DESA sources said "breaker control cable" and other machinery of the sub-station were burnt in the lightning that struck at 5 am.

Sources said following the power disruption, production in factories, including over 100 garment factories, halted leaving several hundred workers with the prospect of being out of work for next few days.

Engineers of DESA have already started the overhaul of the substation and hoped for resuming its

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DHAKA THURSDAY APRIL 4, 2002

operation before April 5.

In Kurigram, the nor'wester that lashed different upazilas claimed three lives and felled huge trees in different areas on Tuesday night.

Halima Begum, 27, wife of Ashraful Haq of Dhularkuti village, Montu Miah, 32, son of Aysuddin of Diadanga village, and Sohrab Ali, 40, son of Goda Miah of Dakkhin Dilai village, were killed in lightning.

In Bogra, a labourer of a soap factory was killed and four others were injured when a mud-wall of the factory collapsed and fell on them during the storm at Atnarpara in the town on Tuesday night.

Faridul Islam, 24, son of Buda Pramanic of Pirganj upazila of Rangpur district, Kalu Miah, Ziaur Rahman, Minu Miah and Farook, labourers of Islam Soap Factory, were injured when the wall fell on them at midnight while they were asleep.

Of them, Faridul died on way to Dhaka. Others were admitted to Mohammad Ali Hospital.