Colombia’s Capital hit by hailstorm
An unusually strong hail storm whipped through Colombia’s capital, on Saturday, causing severe flooding and burying dozens of vehicles under the ice. Authorities say it is the strongest ever hailstorm seen in Bogotá, but despite several major roads becoming blanketed in ice, no one was killed by the storm.
The streets and neighbourhoods around Bogotá were hardest hit by the storm, with the melting ice and snow flooding many nearby homes and buildings. Over 30 cars became stuck when a meter and a half (59 inches) of water and ice accumulated at the bottom of an intersection. Rescue workers faced great difficulty in rescuing people from their cars, with one fire-fighter saying “this is a special case because as we try and remove all the ice, it’s getting harder, making it more difficult to do so.”
Colombians have only just recovered from heavy rain which lashed across the country at the beginning of the rainy season in October. More than 90 people were killed by the rain, which caused widespread flooding and left more than 800,000 people homeless.
