SRINAGAR, Aug. 14 -- Heavy rain, hailstorms and gusty winds battered parts of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, damaging apple orchards in south Kashmir and triggering flash floods in Pahalgam, while the Meteorological Department warned of more rain and thundershowers across the Union Territory over the next five days.

A hailstorm accompanied by intense rainfall struck several areas of Shopian and Kulgam districts, causing extensive damage to apple orchards and other standing crops. Growers in some of the worst-hit areas claimed that more than 90 per cent of the fruit crop had been damaged, although an official assessment is awaited.

Affected areas in Shopian included Feeripora, Mandujan, Pudsoo, Batagund, Kaprin and Rakhpora, while damage w...