Lightning kills 2 in Toledo; Hailstorm in Pinamungajan

Two persons were killed by lightning in Toledo City, while Pinamungajan was again hit by a hailstorm yesterday.

In Toledo City, police identified the first fatality as Marites Lacheca, 37, a mother of four , who was doing the laundry outside their house in sitio Bawod, barangay Magdugo at around 1:30 p.m. yesterday.

Barangay Magdugo councilman Max Macapobre said Lacheca’s children told him that during the heavy downpour, their mother was washing clothes and storing rainwater.

The children asked their mother to get inside because of the lightning storm.

Later on, when they checked on their mother, Lacheca was already lying lifeless on the ground.

She had black markings in the body and neck.

Meanwhile, the Carmen Copper Corporation Hospital in Toledo City confirmed that Victoriano Macaday, 23, was also hit by lightning and was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital at around 1:30 p.m.

Nurse-on-duty Erna Ricacho said they were told that Macaday was fixing something outside his house when he was struck by lightning.

Hailstorm

For the second time in over a year, Pinamungajan town was hit by a hailstorm or freezing rain.

According to P02 Carlos Barluado the hailstorm hit barangays Binabag, Poblacion and Pandacan around 1:40 p.m.

“While we took shelter from the rain, we noticed that ice, like ice cubes fell from the sky,” he said.

Barluado said he was able to record a video of the hailstorm, which lasted for two minutes.

At least two houses were damaged by the hailstorm which also caused power a outage in the town.

According to Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) Bureau Chief Oscar Tabada, there is nothing unusual with the phenomenon.

Tabada explained that hailstorms develop when water vapor is sucked by thunderstorm clouds to an altitude of around 12,000 meters. At this altitude, water vapor freezes turning it to hail or ice pellets.

On May 17, 2012, hailstorm caused damaged to around 180 houses in barangay Lamac.