Rain, squall in Banaskantha, one dead

PALANPUR: Heavy wind with rain and dust storm claimed life of a seven-year-old boy and injured several others in separate incidents in Bhabhar taluka of Banaskantha late Monday night.
The deceased boy was identified as Rohit Thakor of Sanesda village in Bhabhar. He died after a tin box containing cement fell on him due. One person was critically injured after a tree fell on him while he was working in a farm.
A tin box flying the air hit a 18-year-old youth causing serious injury in Bavaljudi village of Vadgam taluka on Monday night.
According to district officials, over a dozen cattle were killed due to falling of trees and electricity poles. Several kuchha houses collapsed, trees and poles got uprooted due to the heavy winds that was blowing at high speed.
The winds were so strong that a telecom tower of the BSNL collapsed and only its mangled remains could be seen on Tuesday morning, said Shivram Patel of Vedanch village in Palanpur. He added the winds has casued heavy damage to standing crops.
Standing millet crop sown in 3.5 lakh hectare faces severe damage.
The deputy director of Agriculture Banaskantha however was of the opinion that the unseasonal rain has proved to be blessing in disguise as the farmers will not require water to irrigate the millet crop.