Hundreds of houses were destroyed in Mizoram particularly in the second biggest district of the State, Lunglei, when heavy rain accompanied by hailstones lashed the town and its surroundings on Sunday afternoon.
According to reports received from the Young Mizo Association (YMA) sub headquarters, Lunglei, as many as 796 homes were damaged due to the hailstones in the district area.
The total number of houses damaged is expected to be over a thousand. Many crops were destroyed due to the hailstones. House property including syntex covers and window panes were part of the damage.
“Hailstones the size of eggs started falling around the afternoon and we all huddled in the safety of our homes. The hail was as large as six to seven centimetres. The sudden torrent of rain and hail gave us a big shock as this is the biggest hailstone we have witnessed in the past 50 years,” said Lalrokunga, a resident of Lunglei.
The unexpected torrent of hailstones came about unexpectedly as the winter chill was slowly giving way to summer warmth during the past couple of days.