A strong hailstorm hit many parts of Manipur at 2 a.m. on Wednesday. Several houses, shops and other constructions were damaged. There is no official information on casualties, if any, so far.
Three old trees were uprooted inside Kangla in Imphal city, where the old palace and several temples are situated. Entry to the area was prohibited for several hours while the local authorities removed the fallen trees. Elsewhere in the State too, there have been reports of uprooted trees and damaged houses.
In Nambol in Bishnupur district, a drama hall, and several shops and houses, were damaged. Officials are trying to restore their power supply.
Reports from the hill district of Noney say that at least 16 houses in the Nungba sub-division have been destroyed. A large number of persons were rendered homeless and exposed to torrential rain for several hours. When daylight arrived, they moved in with friends and relatives. The affected villagers said the government and district administration had not rushed any assistance to them.
Damage to property has also been reported from Imphal East and Imphal West districts. Power supply was interrupted for several hours in the residential areas. Power supply in and around Imphal was restored late on Wednesday evening. But officials said that it would take some days to send technicians to the hill areas for fixing snapped transmission lines. Uprooted trees and electric poles are yet to cleared in the remote hill and rural areas.
Ahead of the hailstorm, one elderly person was electrocuted. Authorities are taking extreme care to ensure there is no repeat of this fatal incident.
Tribal communities in the affected hill districts said that the government cannot take such a long time to rescue victims and rushing aid, including cooked food. They pointed out that they cannot cook even if the government provides rice since their homes have been razed to the ground or their roofs blown away. The situation has been further aggravated by the torrential rain in hill areas.
