Lightning claims three lives in state

Lightning killed three persons, including a woman, in Birbhum on Tuesday evening.

Police confirmed the incident but are yet to identify the victims till the last report came in.

A senior police officer said that according to the preliminary reports, two persons were killed at Nalhati and one at Mayureswar.

Despite poor weather and heavy rainfall since Tuesday morning, all of them had to set out of their house for work.

At Nalhati, lightning struck when the woman was heading to a relative's house on Tuesday evening. A similar incident had taken place a few kilometres away at Nalhati itself where another person was killed by lightning.

In another incident at Mayureswar in Birbhum, a farmer was killed after being struck by lightning when he was busy working in his agricultural land. Despite of heavy rains and lightning, the victim went to his field in the evening and started working.

A few minutes after all the three incidents, local people went to the spot and took the victims to local health centres with severe burn injuries. Doctors in the local health centres initiated their treatment but failed to save their lives despite trying their level best.

In a bid to avoid repetition of such incidents the district administration is taking necessary measures to create awareness among people so that they do not set out of their houses or even if they do, they should find a safe place to take shelter when it rains heavily with high chances of lightning.

It may be mentioned that the meteorological department has maintained that there will be heavy rains along with thundershower in South Bengal districts in the next 48 hours.