Seven people, including two children, were killed in separate incidents of lightning strikes in Budaun, Etah and Rae Bareli districts of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, officials said.
“Farmers Bablu (30) and Varjeet Yadav (32) were returning home on a motorbike from Ushait Bazar when lightning struck the area along with heavy rain, killing both on the spot,” Dataganj Sub Divisional Magistrate Dharmendra Kumar Singh said.
In another lightning incident in Ushait town, Anshika (11) died when she was returning home from school.
The three bodies have been sent for post-mortem, Singh said, adding that a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each will be given to the family of the deceased.
Three individuals perished in Rae Bareli’s Dih, Bhadokhar, and Mill police station neighborhoods, and three others had life-threatening lightning injuries.
According to the police, Mohit Pal, 14, was struck by lightning while grazing cattle in a field close to Gendalal Village in the Dih police station area, and he passed away instantly. When he was struck by lightning, Jamuna Prasad, 38, was working in the field in Purva village near the Mill area police station.
Ramakanti (38) lost her life to lightning in a similar occurrence that occurred in the Sarai Damo hamlet of the Bhadokhar police station area of Rae Bareli. According to authorities, three further people who were struck by lightning in the area and suffered major burns have been admitted to a hospital.
The body has been submitted for a post-mortem, according to Jaithara SHO Khushiram. “Dharmendra (32) died due to lightning in Etah’s Khanjarpur village when he stepped outside during heavy rain to fetch fodder for his cattle,” he added.
