May 5, 2005
Associated Press
Houston Chronicle
MEXICO CITY — A freak hail storm dumped several inches of ice on southern Oaxaca City and killed at least seven people today, officials said.
The overnight storm pelted the city with ice, causing the roofs of shacks to cave in and leaving more than 30 centimeters (12 inches) of hail in some areas, said emergency services director Hector Gonzalez.
A family of five drowned when their car was engulfed in water outside of Oaxaca City, the capital of Oaxaca state, 220 miles (350 kilometers) southeast of Mexico City, Gonzalez said.
Another person was electrocuted and another suffered a heart attack brought on by the storm, he said.
About 1,000 homes were damaged, and 5,000 people were left homeless, some staying in makeshift shelters.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/world/3169461