Sankhuwasabha, May 19:

Five schoolchildren were hurt and property worth Rs 10 million destroyed in a storm yesterday afternoon.

Strong gusts of wind blew away the roof of Shiva Primary School at Jaljala VDC-7 injuring five children and causing damages to the walls.

The storm also blew away the roofs of Siddheshwor Primary School at Jaljala-1, Sharada High School at Baneshwor VDC and the Baneshwor Hydropower.

The damages caused by the storm spurred the schools to announce suspension of classes for an indefinite period.

The storm began at 3.00 pm, and fifth grader Pema Nurbu Sherpa, second graders Nilam Kumar BK and Setimaya Tamang, and first graders Sukamaya Tamang and Biru Maya Tamang were injured during the storm, headmaster of the Shiva Primary School Hari Bahadur Shrestha said.

The injured are undergoing treatment in Bana VDC based sub-health post. The storm also blew away the roof of a quarter and a kitchen of police officials of the district police office damaging property worth Rs 300,000, district police office chief Bishworaj Pokhrel said.

The storm also damaged dozens of electric polls in different places of the district causing disruption to electricity supply from 11.00 am yesterday evening.

Also yesterday a helicopter belonging to Fishtail Airline, which was ferrying tourists from Makalu Base Camp to Kathmandu, had to make an emergency landing on the bank of Arun river at Annkhi VDC-5 after it failed to land at the Tumlingtar airport. The helicopter later took off for Kathmandu in the evening after the storm calmed down, police said.

Roofs and walls of more than 25 houses were also damaged during the storm.