Five people lost their lives and six others sustained injuries after being struck by lightning in two districts of Jharkhand on Monday, police said. According to officials, three deaths occurred in Meral area of Garhwa district, while two fatalities were reported from Katkamsandi and Giddi areas of Hazaribag district.
Meral police station in-charge Vishnu Kant stated that at least three individuals were killed and six others injured due to lightning strikes in different villages of the district.
“The injured have been admitted to Sadar Hospital,” he added. The deceased in Garhwa were identified as Tarun Kumar Dev (18), Shambhu Baitha (65), and Dharmendra Ram (35).
In Hazaribag, the lightning-related deaths took place in Asdhir village and Rabodh panchayat, a police officer said.
The Meteorological Department had issued an alert for hailstorms and lightning across several regions of Jharkhand.
Just last week, a 46-year-old CRPF officer was killed and three others were injured after being struck by lightning during an anti-Naxal operation in Chaibasa.
(With inputs from PTI)