Chinese passenger plane’s windscreen smashed in freak hailstorm

A Chinese passenger plane has been badly damaged and its windscreen smashed after flying through a severe hailstorm.

The China Southern Airlines Airbus A380 was on route to Beijing from Guangzhou when the storm hit, shattering the windshield.

No passengers or crew members were injured and the plane landed safely in the China capital on Monday morning, the airline said in a statement released via Chinese social media site Weibo.

In recordings released after the incident, the pilots said the outer layer of the window glass was damaged, China.org reported.

The nose of the plane was also damaged, according to The Aviation Herald.