Unseasonal rains and hailstorm, which lashed parts of Marathwada and Vidarbha regions of Maharashtra on Sunday, claimed three lives and damaged onion, wheat and cereal crops.
After overcast conditions prevailed in several parts of the two regions, heavy unseasonal rains — accompanied by hailstorm — battered several parts of Maharashtra in the morning.
The districts of Jalna and Washim in Marathwada and Vidarbha regions respectively bore the maximum brunt, in terms of fatalities.
A 70-year-old man, identified as one Namdev Shinde, was killed after he was hit by a hailstorm in Vanjara Umarad village in Jalna district of Marathwada. In a similar incident, one Asaram Jagtap (65) died at Nivdunga village in Jafarabad taluka of Jalna district. In the third incident, a woman identified as one Yamuna Humbade succumbed to a hail stone strike while she was on her way to Mahagaon temple in Washim district of Vidarbha region.
Pimpalner in Beed district of Marathwada also witnessed heavy pour accompanied by hail storms, during the day, while heavy rains lashed several parts of Dhule district in north Maharashtra.
Reports reaching the State headquarters said that the heavy unseasonal downpour and hail storm damaged standing crops of onion, wheat and cereals. The revenue authorities are expected to assess the damage caused to crops due to the natural calamity, on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Regional Meteorological Centre, Mumbai, has forecast “scattered” rains on Monday to “isolated” rains at one or two places in Marathwada on Tuesday, while it has predicted “fairly wide-spread” rains at many places on Monday and rains at one or two isolated places in Vidarbha region on Tuesday.