Colorado Spring Hailstorm
A zoo in Colorado Spring was hit with a hailstorm leaving over 14 injured and 2 animals dead. In this image, drivers on the 14 Freeway come to stop as monsoon storm cell dumps hail and rain in the high desert area of Los Angeles County, California, July 30, 2015. Reuters/Gene Blevins

At least fourteen people were injured and two animals were dead at a Colorado zoo after hailstones the size of golf balls rained over the area Monday afternoon, officials said.

According to the National Weather Service, the storm had a wind gust of up to 60mph and it moved through Fountain, Security and Falcon, The Denver Post reported.

As more storms were expected to develop through Monday night, forecasters also issued a flash flood warning in the region owing to a predicted rainfall of up to half an inch.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department said at least five zoo patrons at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, who suffered unspecified injuries in the storm, were transported to the hospital. Nine injured persons were treated and released at the scene. A duck and a vulture at the zoo were killed in the incident.

Buildings, habitats, and property including cars were damaged in the incident. All kids present at the zoo at the time were reported to be safe with no injuries as well.

The zoo will be closed on Tuesday as it assesses the damage, zoo marketing director Jenny Koch said.

"It was hail the size I've never seen before," Koch said. "Basically chunks of ice. ... It's frightening."

Koch said a 13-year-old caped vulture named Motswari along with a 4-year-old Muscovy duck known as Daisy were killed due to the storm. Another vulture was also reported dead initially, but it turned out that it was gravely injured.

The zoo’s official Twitter account said it had deployed around three buses to evacuate people from the zoo to Cheyenne Mountain High School. They also warned others to stay away from the area till further notice.

Social media was flooded with pictures and videos of the incident, which showed hailstones the size of baseball balls falling all over the area.

The cars parked near the zoo were pelted with hail, leading to a lot of debris. According to zoo officials, at least 300 cars were left stranded. Many buildings and skylights were also damaged. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo covers more than 140 acres and houses more than 750 animals. The incident left over 3,000 people stranded at the zoo.

Around 2,000 people in the nearby areas experienced power shortage. The U.S. Highway 24, west of Manitou Springs, was closed due to the heavy rain and debris.

"It was a significant storm," Barry Brown, the vice president of sales and marketing at The Broadmoor Hotel and resort said. The hotel was also affected due to the hailstorm. Parts of Weld and Morgan County were also hit. Reports said soldier vehicles at Fort Carson were also damaged by the hail storm.

Areas including Manitou Springs, the Broadmoor, and Widefield were also affected due to hail. Cars near Broadmoor were stranded due to the heavy rain.

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