Hailstones 'as big as eggs' kill 18

A hailstorm in Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality has left 18 dead, one person missing and 25 injured, the People's Daily reported yesterday.

The biggest hailstorm, which fell in Chongqing, reached 13 centimetres in diameter, according to local reports.

Chongqing's eight districts also experienced gales and 140 millimetres of rainfall in last Friday's storm.

According to the municipal Office of Disaster and Social Relief, about 458,000 residents in 80 counties and towns in Chongqing were hit by bad weather, leaving five dead and 25 injured.

One of these hailstones was the largest ever recovered in the United States. The National Climate Extremes Committee, which is responsible for validating national records, has formally accepted the stone's measurements from the National Weather Service forecast office in Hastings, Nebraska. With a diameter of 17.78 centimeters (7 inches) and a circumference of 47.63 centimeters (18.75 inches), the Aurora stone surpasses the famed hailstone that fell in Coffeyville, Kansas on September 3, 1970.[quote/]