A severe hailstorm accompanied by gale damaged thousands of houses and injured hundreds of people in Orissa, officials said on Friday. The hailstorm along with strong winds of 200 km per hour battered Angul town, 161 km from here, and nearby areas Thursday afternoon for several hours, said Achyutananda Pani, officer on special duty in state revenue control room.
It also damaged thousands of thatched houses, snapped power and telecommunication networks at many places and uprooted thousands of trees, Pani said.

Hundreds of people, including women and children, were also injured, Pani said.
There was no report of any casualties, he added. Bureau Report