Five of family killed as tree collapses on house during storm in Sitamarhi; weather alerts issued across Bihar

Patna: A tragic incident occurred in Sitamarhi district when a massive Peepal tree uprooted during a severe storm and collapsed onto a house, killing five members of the same family, sai dofficials on Tuesday.

The incident took place in Revasi Dhanushi Tola (Ward No. 1) under the Riga police station area late Monday night.

The deceased have been identified as Puja Devi (28), wife of Sikandar Sahani, her daughter Shivani (5), and her three sons — Rajkumar (7), Veerbhadr Kumar (2), and one-month-old Laigar Kumar.

According to local residents, the family was asleep in their kutcha house, which stood beside an old Peepal tree.

At around 11.30 p.m., strong winds and heavy rain struck the area, uprooting the tree.

The tree fell directly onto the house, causing the structure to collapse completely and trapping all five occupants beneath the debris. All of them died on the spot.

After receiving information about the incident, officials, including the Sadar SDPO, the Block Development Officer (BDO), and personnel from Riga police station, reached the site.

Local villagers joined rescue teams in removing the debris.

The district administration has initiated the process of providing compensation and other government assistance to the affected family as per existing norms.

The tragedy comes amid worsening weather conditions across Bihar as the southwest monsoon approaches the state.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the monsoon is expected to enter Bihar between June 10 and June 15.

On Monday evening, severe storms and rain also caused widespread disruption in the Bagaha region of West Champaran district.

Strong winds uprooted trees, damaged houses, and blocked several major roads.

A large tree fell near Banjariya Chowk on the Ramnagar-Bakhri main road, resulting in a massive traffic jam that left thousands of commuters stranded for hours.

Numerous trees also fell along the Ramnagar-Lauriya and Ramnagar-Narkatiaganj routes, disrupting transportation.

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has issued weather alerts for several districts of Bihar.

A yellow alert was issued for West Champaran, East Champaran, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Supaul, Araria, Kishanganj, Purnea, Katihar, Madhepura, Saharsa, Khagaria, Bhagalpur, Banka, Munger, Jamui, Samastipur, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Saran, Siwan, and Gopalganj.

These districts are expected to witness thunderstorms, lightning, and winds reaching speeds of 40-50 kmph.

The department has also issued an orange alert for Wednesday for the same districts, warning of stronger winds of 50-60 kmph, lightning activity, and heavy rainfall.

The Kosi-Seemanchal region is likely to receive particularly heavy rain during this period.

Weather officials have advised residents to remain alert, avoid taking shelter under trees during storms, and follow safety advisories issued by local authorities.

IANS