Sheopur, June 12 (IANS) At least four people, including three members of a family, were killed in two separate incidents after a powerful dust storm accompanied by pre-monsoon rain battered Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district on Friday afternoon.

The worst-hit incident occurred in Suswada village under Avada police station limits, where three farm workers died after a temporary tin shed collapsed amid strong winds.

Avada police station in-charge Dharmendra Malviya said the victims were guarding a moong crop field in Rajpura village when the weather suddenly turned severe.

“Four members of the same family had taken shelter inside a tin shed to protect themselves from the storm and rain. A concrete wall adjacent to the structure collapsed due to strong winds, bringing down the shed and trapping them underneath,” Malviya told IANS.

The deceased were identified as Bhima Adivasi (40), his wife Seema Adivasi (38), and their daughter-in-law Rajwati Adivasi (21). Another family member sustained injuries and was rushed to Kelwara Hospital in neighbouring Rajasthan for treatment.

Police teams and local residents launched a rescue operation immediately after receiving information about the collapse. The victims were pulled out from the debris and shifted to a district hospital, where doctors declared three of them dead. Their bodies were later sent for post-mortem examination.

Malviya said police have registered a case and initiated an inquiry into the incident. He added that preliminary investigation suggested the deaths were caused by the collapse of the shed and adjoining wall during the storm, and statements of witnesses are being recorded.

In a separate incident in the Salpura area, an autorickshaw parked along a roadside overturned during the storm. An elderly woman, Bharosi Bai Vaishnav (80), who was standing nearby, was struck by the vehicle and suffered fatal injuries.

The storm uprooted dozens of trees, damaged mud houses, snapped power lines and disrupted electricity supply in several parts of the district. Fallen trees also blocked key roads, affecting traffic movement for several hours.

The rainfall, however, brought respite from the scorching heat. According to the Meteorological Department, the maximum temperature in Sheopur dropped from 41 degrees Celsius earlier this week to around 36 degrees on Friday.

The department has forecast continued weather fluctuations, with light to moderate rainfall, thunderstorms and strong winds likely at isolated places across Sheopur and adjoining districts over the next 24 hours.

–IANS

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