Three killed, 60 injured due to strong winds in Punjab, Haryana

Chandigarh: Three persons were killed and  about 60 injured when high velocity winds hit several areas of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh last night, disrupting power supply and uprooting many trees.Among those killed in the storm, which had an average wind speed of close to 70 kmph and touching 105 kmph at one point, was a college student here, officials said.The 21-year-old student, who had come to drop off his friend at private college here, was killed after a wall collapse, in which his friend also sustained injuries.[caption id="attachment_1111631" align="alignleft" width="380"] High speed winds disrupted life in the three states. Representational image. Reuters[/caption]In another incident, a 23-year-old youth of Panchkula's Raipur Rani area, was killed after his motorcycle skidded in Barwala in Haryana district during the storm while in yet another incident, a 30-year-old man standing under a bus shelter in Mohali, Punjab, died when the shelter collapsed under the weight of a tree that fell on it.Reports reaching here said the storm, which lasted for about 40 minutes, also hit many areas in Punjab and Haryana including Amritsar, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ambala,Kurukshetra and Karnal.Close to 60 persons sustained injuries in the two states and Chandigarh as the trees or broken branches fell on them.The storm, which the local MeT office attributed to a Western Disturbance over the region, led to disruption in power supply in many areas of the two states and Chandigarh.While power supply was restored in many areas after several hours, at other places where the lines had been snapped or had got entangled in broken trees, the work torestore the supply was still going on, the officials said.The storm left a trail of destruction as trees and branches were strewn across various parts. Traffic flow was also affected in many parts as uprooted trees and branchescaused inconvenience to motorists.PTI