'Fish rain' takes villagers by surprise in Kerala

THRISSUR: After 'red rain', now it is 'fish rain' in Kerala.

Residents of Kandanassery village near here were quite surprised when small fish started raining down towards the end of a sudden downpour last night.
   
The phenomenon was first noticed by two persons when the little slimy things started pattering on their body while they were returning home late in the night.

As they thought that people would reject this as a mere fantasy or concocted tale unless there was a tangible proof, they picked up some of the bubbling fish and kept them in a water-filled bucket near the village library.
   
Sivaraman, who first sighted the rare phenomenon, said he also saw some fish crushed by vehicles that drove on the road when it was raining.
   
"There is no reason to disbelieve what the villagers say, as it is possible to have a scientific explanation for this", Dr C K Rajan of the School of Marine Sciences of the Cochin University of Science and Technology told when asked about the phenomenon.
   
"When convective clouds are formed, it is possible that tiny aquatic organisms get lifted to the atmoshpere. They can survive suspended in the clouds so long as the clouds have moisture content," he said.
   
The type of fish that came down from the sky was the same as commonly found in ponds and canals in the area, the villagers said.

Some time back, a few places in the state had received 'red coloured' rain. Scientists who studied the phenomenon attributed it to the presence of algae in clouds.