Hailstorm hits Assam, damages over 4,000 houses across four districts

As north and central India shivers due to coldwaves, and foggy condition continue to prevail over several parts of the country, a severe hailstorm has hit areas of upper Assam on Tuesday, damaging nearly 4,500 houses in four districts, officials said on Tuesday.

According to an Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) report, a total of 4,483 houses were damaged across 132 villages in Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar and Tinsukia districts. Almost 18,000 people have been affected, and the families hit by the hailstorm were supplied with tarpaulin sheets, it said.

The ASDMA report said 4,481 houses were partially damaged, while two structures were completely destroyed. A total of 3,009 houses were damaged in Charaideo, followed by Dibrugarh (1,232), Sivasagar (220) and Tinsukia (22), it said.

Several schools have also suffered damages along with crops in large areas of agricultural land in the hailstorm, a rare phenomenon in this part of the state during the winter season, officials said.

A video from ANI news agency shows the streets of Dibrugarh covered in hail after a storm lashed the area. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that Dibrugarh will have a minimum temperature of 13°C and a maximum temperature of 26°C along with a generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers today.

The hailstorm lashed Moran, Tingkhong, Naharkatia, and other areas late on Monday night and early on Tuesday morning, a senior official of the Dibrugarh district administration said. However no casualties were reported.

”It has led to widespread damage in the district. As per preliminary assessment in Moran sub-division, 210 houses have been damaged in 37 villages,” he said.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said several houses under Moran and Tingkhong revenue circles have been reportedly damaged.

”Have instructed officials to make a detailed assessment of the damages caused. Government is extending all possible help to all those affected by it,” he wrote on Twitter.

According to IMD, dense to very dense fog conditions would continue over several parts of the country, including Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and West Rajasthan during the next 48 hours.