KASKI: Hailstone occurred on Wednesday afternoon in various parts of the country including Kaski district destroyed vegetables and fruits.

Vegetables and fruits grown in the several pocket areas such as Malepatan, Maasbas, Gharipatan, Ratopaiya Birauta, Bharatpokhari and Nirmal Pokhari among others in the district were destroyed due to the hailstone that occurred for nearly half an hour from 1:00 pm.

Damaged by the hail were bottle gourd, cucumber, pumpkin and green beans along with saplings of these vegetables while orange, lemon, papaya, pear and lychee were also destroyed, informed Rishikesh Acharya of Gharipatan of Pokhara.

Farmers are saddened by the loss as the half-an-hour-hailstorm caused damages to the flowering of the fruits and winter harvest of vegetables. Krishnamaya Rana Magar of Ratopaiha, Pokhara-17 said that they had never seen such huge hail in their 22-year of stay in this place.

The hailstone also damaged vegetable and fruit farming in Dulegauda and Dhorphirdi among other places in Tanahu district, informed Umadevi Bhattarai, a local.