IMPHAL, October 18: A 68-year-old man was found dead underneath rubbles of a concrete wall this afternoon after a brief hailstorm wreack havoc in Thoubal district.
The man has been identified as Keisham Jatra of Khoirom Makha Leikai, Thoubal district.
Heavy hailstorm accompanied had hit Thoubal district this afternoon between 3 to 3:30 pm.
According to source, Jatra was taking shelter in a waiting shed, when a brick wall of the eastern GP Farmers`™ Cooperative Society adjacent to the waiting shed collapsed during the rain.
He was later found under the wall.
Meanwhile, vast amount of standing crop, almost ready for harvesting, have also been destroyed during the hailstorm. Large portions of paddy field at Ukhongshang, Lourembam, Nongpok Sekmai and Leirongthel have been destroyed during the hailstorm.
Maibam Somorjit, a farmer from Ushangkhong said that the farmers of the areas are headed for a hard time this year.
The hailstorm has destroyed the hard work of the farmers, he cried before recalling that the farmers had already faced pest attack of the crops.
He said they had just manaed to control the pest when today`™s hailstorm hit them hard again.
He continued that the authority concerned must render support to the farmers of the areas.