India News | Maha: Untimely Rains, Hailstorm, Lighting Damage Crops, Kill Cattle in Several Vidarbha Districts

Nagpur/ Yavatmal/ Buldhana, Dec 29 (PTI) Untimely rain and hailstorm on Tuesday and Wednesday damaged standing crops, killed several heads of cattle in various districts of Vidarbha in MaharashTra, officials said.

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A 10-year-old boy died in a lightning strike on Tuesday in Bhandara, they added.

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Villages in Bhandara, Yavatmal, Buldhana, Nagpur, Gadchiroli districts witnessed hailstorm and untimely rains over the past two days, they said.

"In Buldhana, as per preliminary information, around 3,697 hectares of standing crops like corn, wheat, jowar, tur have been damaged, apart from vegetables, banana, papaya etc. In Yavatmal, villages like Kotamba, Pimpri, Umri were worst affected. Around 6,000 hectare of farm land has been damaged in Yavatmal, which also saw deaths of cattle and poultry," an official said.

The Bhandara District Information office (DIO) said Rabi crops in Pavni, Tumsar, Mohadi, Sakoli, Lakhni and Lakhandur talukas have been destroyed.

"A 10-year-old boy died on Tuesday after being struck by lightning while working with his father in their farm in Shivni village of Mohadi taluka. His father was injured while one bovine was killed," an official from Bhandara district said.

A senior official from the agriculture department told PTI that Narkhed, Katol, Ashti, Arvi regions in Nagpur district witnessed hailstorm on Tuesday.

The India Meteorological Department has forecast thunderstorm with lightning and light rainfall in some places in the Vidarbha region.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)