KATHMANDU: Heavy winds on Wednesday night destroyed the mud-built houses of hundreds in Gulariya Municipality, Bardiya district. Three people were injured by falling trees, the authorities said.

Superintendent of Police Tulasiram Aryal at the Bardiya District Police Office said that the storm which struck around 9 pm destroyed about 50 percent of the earthen houses in ward 7 of the municipality. Ward chair Manoj Kumar Yadav estimated there are about 3,000 mud houses in the ward.

Injured include 72-year-old Jahura Dhobi and 70-year-old Kallu Godiya, who have been discharged from the hospital after treatment, he said. "Many houses were damaged apart from banana plantations and mature mango crops," he added. The storm has left people in the dark as fallen trees and snapped wires resulted in a power outage, which was not restored till 10 am this morning.

According to Narayan Aryal, the head of the Nepal Electricity Authority branch in Bardiya, the storm knocked down around 100 electric poles. A team was dispatched to restore power in Gulariya, the district headquarters, and other affected areas.