Lightning claims 5 in Buldhana district

Nagpur, June 20 (UNI) Five people, including four women and a child, were killed today when lightning struck them at two places in Buldhana district in Maharashtra.

According to police, three women were killed after they were struck by lightning while working in a field in village Dighi in Nandura tehsil of the district this afternoon.

The deceased were identified as Ratnamala Hiwrale (45), Gokarna Ingle (49), both residents of Dighi, and Gumfa Telang (55), a resident of Tikodi, the police said.

In another incident, a woman and a child were killed and two injured in lightning while they were in a field at village Shelgaon-Atol in Chikhli tehsil of the district this afternoon, the police said.

The victims were identified as Aruna Kale (22) and Suryakant Kale (13), both residents of Shelgaon-Atol. The names of the injured were not available immediately, they added.

Meanwhile, rains, accompanied by strong winds, damaged several houses, cattle sheds and standing crops in parts of Nandura tehsil of the district, official sources said, adding the extent of the damage was being assessed.

UNI