KUALA TERENGGANU: Residents in Chukai, Kemaman and an area within a three-kilometre radius were surprised today by the phenomenon of hailstones.
Kemaman district police chief Supt Hanyan Ramlan said the incident at about 4pm this afternoon lasted 10 to 15 minutes between Jalan Dato' and Jalan Kubang Kurus.
"The incident was also accompanied by thunderstorm which damaged some facilities such as business tents while the roofs of some houses and schools were ripped off. Police are still receiving reports of damage.
"A 15-year-old local boy reportedly broke his right leg as a result of being crushed by the rubble of a hut at Mak Nik Beach while taking shelter there from the storm and hailstone," he said when contacted by Bernama today.
He said police were patrolling and monitoring the location to get a full report on the incident.
Meanwhile, Chukai Fire and Rescue Station (BBP) chief Mohd Zailani Abdullah said a total of 25 members from the station and Kemaman were at the scene of the incident to clear up fallen trees.
He also confirmed that several cars were also hit by fallen trees, but the actual number had not yet been identified because calls were still coming in.
Meanwhile, Terengganu Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) director Rosli Zakaria said the rain occurred due to a combination of thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong winds.
"When a cumulonimbus cloud forms at a high altitude, the air temperature in the cloud exceeds the threshold value of the freezing level and ice chunks form in that layer.
"When it is very heavy, the ice that forms in the clouds does not have time to melt and falls with the rain as ice," he said.
He said the incident, which is a common but rare phenomenon in Terengganu, had nothing to do with the North East Monsoon (MTL) which is predicted to start early this November.
Earlier, MetMalaysia issued a thunderstorm warning in Kemaman and Dungun at 3pm this afternoon.– BERNAMA