Hit by Hailstones in Russian’s Altai Region, July 28th

image from omskzdes

Seven people have been injured and thousands of homes and facilities damaged after a heavy hailstorm hit the Russian region of Altay. The hailstones were the size of quail’s eggs, and some even as big as tennis balls.

A woman has been taken to hospital with a head injury.

The hailstorm hit the Altay Region in southern Sibera, over 3,500 kilometers from Moscow.

Many cars were also damaged in the hail, which lasted for about 10 minutes, RIA Novosti news agency reported.

 Over 3,000 homes and facilities were damaged, and about 1,600 square meters of windows were broken in the area during the storm, said Svetlana Lyashko, a representative of the local Emergency Situations Ministry.

A massive electricity outage was registered in the region hit by the hail.

To assess the damage, 15 rescue groups with 102 staff and 27 units of special equipment were deployed to the area.

On Tuesday, meteorologists predict heavy thunderstorms, rain and hail.

The storm came not long after the region was hit by its annual flood season, which this year affected 40,000 people.

Two weeks ago, a similar hailstorm hit the city of Novosibirsk due to the sharp decrease in temperatures: from +41 to +21 Celsius. A video that went viral showed the hail and the people running from a beach, some of them horrified and some trying to joke about the harsh Siberian climate.