Lightning strike kills nine in Burdwan

Nine people,including three children,died and nearly 14 were injured after being struck by lightning in Burdwan.

A group of people were taking part in a shradh ceremony at Khandakosh in Burdwan at 6 pm,when the incident happened. Their charred bodies were later retrieved by the police and sent for postmortem. The victims were huddled under a tarpulin sheet,as it was raining very heavily.

Preliminary reports suggest nine people died on the spot after being struck by the lightning. Our team is on the spot and we are making arrangements for bringing the injured to the hospital, said R Rajshekharan,SP (Burdwan).

According to the police the death toll is likely to rise since many of the victims have suffered critical burn injuries.

It was around 4.30 pm when it started raining hard and the guests took shelter under the tarpaulin sheet just outside the house. I heard a loud thud as the lightning struck. I saw around 50 people lying on the ground. We helped the victims and somehow got a matador and carried some of them to the hospital. I have lost my brother in the accident, said Ganesh Pramanik,Anil Pramaniks son.

Fourteen people injured in the incident have been admitted to Burdwan Medical College. The condition of three of them is critical.

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