Kathmandu, April 12 -- The gale-force winds that smashed into Bara and Parsa districts last fortnight wiped out Rs507 million worth of crops and cattle, a preliminary report released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development said on Thursday.

The report said that 10 municipalities in the two districts were laid waste by the 90-km-per-hour rainstorm that hit on March 31. The disaster claimed the lives of 28 people and rendered hundreds homeless in the two districts in the southern Tarai plains.

According to the report, crops on 1,096 hectares of land were completely destroyed and 1,728 hectares were partially damaged by the rainstorm in Bara. Crops on 339 hectares were completely destroyed and partially damaged on 1,388 he...