Two of family among three killed in lightning strikes in Jharkhand

Three people, including two members of a family, were killed and two others injured in lightning strikes in Jharkhand's Palamu district on Friday, police said.

The incidents took place in two police station areas when the deceased were grazing cattle in the fields.

Thirty-eight-year-old Chinta Devi and her daughters Puja Kumari (14) and Sharda Kumari (12) were grazing cattle in a field in Shikarpur village in Harihargunj Police Station area when rain lashed the area, an officer said.

They took shelter under a tree which was struck by lightning, killing Devi and Puja Kumar instantly, and injuring Sharda Kumari.

In another incident, eight-year-old Chotu Kumar and his paternal aunt were grazing cattle in Arjundih village in Chhatarpur Police Station area, when they were struck by lightning, killing the boy on the spot and seriously injuring his aunt.

The injured have been admitted to hospitals for treatment, and the bodies sent for post-mortem examination to Medinirai Medical College and Hospital, Chhatarpur Sub-divisional Police Officer Ajay Kumar said.