Hail injures 4 in Vietnam’s Lao Cai

The storm, which began at around 1:00 am, lasted for 20-30 minutes, pelting the area with unusually large hailstones, some reportedly as big as a clenched fist.

Bui Minh Hai, chairman of the Bac Ha Commune People’s Committee, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Thursday morning that officials were urgently assessing the damage and coordinating recovery efforts.

“Many fruits were knocked to the ground, while several homes with fibro-cement roofing were punctured,” he said.

Damage reports are being compiled across all 59 villages in the commune.

Hai noted that while a similar hailstorm occurred in Bac Ha Commune about 14 years ago, this latest event was more intense.

“The hailstones this time were larger and fell more densely,” he said.

Vang Van Huynh, a local, recalled that he was awakened by the sound of hail striking his roof.

“At first, the hailstones were small, like marbles, but within just a few minutes, they grew to the size of an egg,” he shared.

Huynh stepped outside to observe the storm, but suddenly a hailstone as big as a fist hit the ground right near his feet.

He quickly shut the door and ran back inside, he said.

In the aftermath, many homes were left with damaged or perforated roofs, while crops were flattened.

Plum trees, in particular, suffered heavy losses, with fruit scattered across the ground.

A preliminary report from the Lao Cai Department of Agriculture and Environment confirmed that four workers were injured when strong winds and hail battered their temporary shelter in Ngai So Village.

All four were taken to the nearest health center for treatment.

As of 8:00 am, authorities had recorded damage to 338 houses, including broken, punctured, or completely blown-off roofs.

Also, nearly 500 hectares of crops were affected.

Total losses were estimated at over VND30 billion (US$1.1 million).

From the night of Thursday through Friday, many northern localities are likely to experience moderate to heavy rainfall and scattered thunderstorms, with precipitation ranging from 20 to 40 mm, due to the impact of a cold air mass, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

Meanwhile, the Central Highlands is forecast to see scattered showers and thunderstorms on Thursday afternoon.

The national weather center cautioned that thunderstorms in the coming days may bring dangerous conditions, including whirlwinds, lightning, hail, and strong gusts.