Heavy rains and hailstorms at Ooty

Heavy rains and hailstorms hit the hill resort town of Udhagamandalam in Nilgiris District today with water entering into at least 10,000 houses and inundating major tourist spots.Almost all major tourist attractions were under waist- deep water as drainage systems were blocked, official sources said.Twenty-five houses were damaged by the hailstorms which were followed by heavy rains lasting for nearly seven hours since midnight, they said.Rain water entered about 10,000 houses, mostly occupied by tea workers and daily wage earners, in Kandal area of the town. Utensils and other household articles were found floating on the water.

Being the peak tourist season, thousands of people from across the country have arrived at the town, acclaimed as the 'Queen of Hills', about 100 kms from here.While Ooty bus stand was covered with waist-deep water, blocking the traffic and movement of people, Japan garden, a part of famous Government Botanical Garden and Children's Park was partially submerged, the sources said.The famous race course was also marooned, forcing the authorities to evacuate horses from there.Municipality, fire service and rescue personnel are on the job to clear the blocked channels, they said.There were no immediate reports of casualties.

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