Hail falls in Muara Enim

PALEMBANG, South Sumatra: Hail fell for the first time in recorded history in Muara Enim district, some 180 kilometers from Palembang, on Tuesday.

The hailstones started falling at 5:30 p.m. local time and lasted for only around five minutes.

"The weather had been fair and it had been a little hotter than usual before the hail started. Most of the people ran indoors when the small balls of ice, about the size of your fingertip, started to fall. Many drivers had to stop their vehicles afraid that the hailstones would break their windshields," Jalili, a local said.

Arinafril, an environment expert from Sriwijaya University, Palembang, said that the hail was caused by environmental changes.

"The environment in the province has changed. The amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) in the air is increasing," Arinafril said, blaming this on air pollution and uncontrolled logging.(33)