Tornadoes kill dozens in northern Bangladesh

At least 38 people were killed and hundreds injured when tornadoes tore through northern Bangladesh blowing away thousands of flimsy huts, officials said today.

The twisters swept through nearly two dozen farming villages in Netrokona and neighbouring Mymensingh districts last night.

At least 26 people, including children, were killed in Netrokona, 80 miles north of the capital Dhaka, according to figures from the local civil surgeon’s office.

Nearly 700 people were injured in Netrokona and some of them were taken to hospital in serious condition, rescue workers said.

Another tornado struck neighbouring Mymensingh, 70 miles north of Dhaka, where rescuers found eight bodies in the rubble of twisted tins and trees and an additional four died in hospital, said Delwar Hossain, a rural council member.

The death toll could rise because some of the injured were in serious condition, Hossain said.

The tornado swept through five farming villages in the region, said Imrul Chowdhury, a government administrator.

Thousands of homeless people spent the night in open fields, witnesses said.

Bangladesh, a delta nation of 140 million people, is often buffeted by tropical storms.