Hailstones
© Berita Harian
More than 130 homes in 13 districts involving 9 residential areas and 4 villages were affected by a sudden hailstorm which saw ice the size of rocks hurtling into homes in the early morning thunderstorm yesterday.

In the 3:15 am downpour, it wasn't torrents of water but rock-hard hailstones that rained down, jolting many from their sleep with the unusual sound of stones hitting their roofs and gardens.

Many Malacca residents awoken by the unusually noisy 'rain' recorded the incident and shared photographs on social media.

Among the affected residential areas are Taman Keris Satria, Taman Keris Emas (9, Taman Peruna, Taman Terendak Permai, Taman Pahlawan, Taman Desa Taming Sari, Taman Sungai Udang and Taman Bandar Baru, Berita Harian reports.

Several villages also reported damage, among them Kampung Paya Rumput Jaya, Kampung Baru Sungai Udang and Kampung Sungai Udang Jaya.

Sungai Udang village head Mohd Nizam Dawood told the Malay news daily that the hailstorm lasted for 30 minutes with many residents reporting finding ice bigger than marbles in the vicinity of their homes.

Hail

"While the storm only lasted for half an hour, many trees fell and roofs were damaged by the strong winds," Mohd Nizam said.

54-year-old Idris Jaffar said his entire family were awoken by the strange loud noises outside their home.

"This is the first time I have experienced this in 20 years of living in this neighbourhood," he recalled.

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Datuk Latipah Omar, state exco chair for the Women, Family Development and Welfare portfolio told reporters that based on reported incidences, about 135 houses were affected in the hailstorm with 6 severely damaged.

"The state will be providing assistance to those affected through the state's natural disaster fund," she said.

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