Bangladesh on Sunday, killing at least 25 people and injuring thousands more gathered for a prayer ceremony in a makeshift tin shed. When the storm hit, panicked worshippers scrambled for safety and that's when most of the injuries occurred, The Daily Star in Bangladesh reports. Nine trucks were needed to transport the injured to hospitals. The storm lasted only five minutes.
Witnesses describe hearing a sound similar to an airplane taking off.
Then, powerful winds blew over roofs, trees and electrical poles. Flying tin and debris were to blame for most of the deaths. Sunday night's ceremony was the last in a five-day seminar which drew thousands of elderly members of the Biswa Ijtema, or World Congregation of Muslim Devotees, to Tongi, which is 16 miles north of the capital city of Dhaka. The Associated Press contributed to this report.