Eight killed, over 150 injured in Orissa tornado

At least eight persons were killed and more than 150 others injured this evening as a tornado wrought trails of devastation at Rajkanika block of Orissa's coastal Kendrapara district.

"Eight bodies have so far been recovered after the tornado hit 11 villages under five gram panchayats, leaving scores of people injured," Sub-collector of Kendrapara Ranjan Kumar Das said.

The death toll is feared to rise as local panchayat raj functionaries and other local officials claimed about 20 people were killed in the deadly tornado.

"The tornado damaged more than 300 houses, uprooted a large number of trees and toppled electric poles during its ten-minute spell of fury in eleven villages under five gram panchayats," Kendrapara Collector Sisirkanta Panda said.

According to sources, more than 150 others were injured, many of them critically. The condition of a dozen people, including seven children and a couple of elderly persons, was stated to be critical, they said.

The injured were admitted to hospitals at Rajkanika and Aul and steps have been taken to shift critically injured people to S C B Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.

The administration granted Rs one lakh to families of each of dead, Rs 50,000 to those who lost body parts, Rs 7,500 each to seriously injured and Rs 2,500 each to other injured persons, sources said.