Dust storm hits Nepal, many injured, airport shut

At least half a dozen people were injured today In Nepal after a powerful dust storm swept across its capital Kathmandu, disrupting normal life and flights, including one of Jet Airways.
The storm blowing at a speed of over 70 kilometres per hour hit the capital at around 4 pm and forced the Tribhuvan International Airport, the country's only international airport, to close due to poor visibility.
The roaring storm lasted for 15 minutes causing darkness and created panic among the citizens. The road traffic was brought to a halt in different places for half an hour.
Nepal Police's control room said no fatalities were reported so far. However, there have been reports of minor injuries caused to some individuals in different parts due to the hitting of flying objects, 'The Himalyan Times' reported.

Three people were injured in the heart after a tree fell on them. One person was injured in Koteshwor area, and three in other parts of the city, police said.
Two international flights - one each of Etihad Air and Jet Airways - coming to Kathmandu were diverted to Lucknow, according to a duty official at the airport.

Likewise, some domestic flights, including of Buddha Air and Yeti Airlines, were diverted to Biratnagar, the report said.
The visibility had come down to 200 metres. Flights do not take off from or land at TIA if ground visibility is less than 1000 metres.

The storm followed by drizzle, however, cleared the skies that were blanketed by a haze for over a week.