Four hundred and sixty parrots perished in one night in an Indian town after a large tree, where they had taken shelter, was battered by a severe hailstorm.

Unprecedented hailstorm struck parts of Maharashtra creating havoc last month.

Eyewitnesses said hails as big as the size of lemons rained from the sky on the night of February 13 at Tumsar in Bhandara district.

The parrots, which had taken shelter at an old peepal tree near a temple died, unable to take the blows.

Local residents woke up to the heartrending sight of the hundreds of dead birds lying under the tree.

Six parrots, which had survived the mayhem were taken to a local veterinary hospital, where two of them survived.

Many vehicles, which had been parked in the open, were also damaged by the hailstorm.

Animal rights activists said climate change triggered by deforestation had led to unpredictable weather in the arid region.

''The hail storm could have caused physical injury to the birds and sent them into a state of shock," said Dr Manilal Valliyate, CEO of PETA India, said.

Four hundred and sixty parrots perished in one night in an Indian town after a large tree, where they had taken shelter, was battered by a severe hailstorm.

Unprecedented hailstorm struck parts of Maharashtra creating havoc last month.

Eyewitnesses said hails as big as the size of lemons rained from the sky on the night of February 13 at Tumsar in Bhandara district.

The parrots, which had taken shelter at an old peepal tree near a temple died, unable to take the blows.

Local residents woke up to the heartrending sight of the hundreds of dead birds lying under the tree.

Six parrots, which had survived the mayhem were taken to a local veterinary hospital, where two of them survived.

Many vehicles, which had been parked in the open, were also damaged by the hailstorm.

Animal rights activists said climate change triggered by deforestation had led to unpredictable weather in the arid region.

"Climate change appears to be the primary reason for this unfortunate incident. The hail storm could have caused physical injury to the birds and sent them into a state of shock," said Dr Manilal Valliyate, CEO of PETA India, said.