Hailstorm and rain batters many parts of Telangana

Tribal shepherd reportedly killed along with over 40 sheep when struck by lightning in Nagarjunasagar mandal of Nalgonda district

Residents and road travellers in at least three districts of Telangana witnessed a spectacle of sorts on Thursday.

Roads, fields and even backyards were covered in thick layers of frozen rain pellets, reminiscent of Kashmir in mid-winter, thanks to the hailstorm that lashed Vikarabad, Sangareddy and Mulugu districts.

A surfeit of video clips had begun to be uploaded onto the social media with people exclaiming that they mistook it to be a scene from the Himalayan region. The clips showed damaged horticulture and floriculture crops under the impact of the hail, indicating the heavy losses suffered by farmers.

According to sources, there was a hailstorm for about half an hour in Kohir mandal, and parts of Zaheerabad.

Vehicle riders were forced to stay aside to save themselves from hailstorm. Never before in the recent past have locals witnessed such a hailstorm.

Marpally and surrounding areas of Vikarabad district has also witnessed huge hailstorm.

In Zaheerabad town, there was rainfall of 22.8 mm in one hour. Crops like sugarcane and jowar and vegetables were hugely damaged at places like Bilalpur, Badampet and Muniyarpally. Crop like paddy was also damaged in parts of Siddipet and Medak districts.