Lightning strikes kill two kids, 5 others in Gujarat

Ahmedabad: Seven persons, including two children, were killed in separate incidents of the lightning strike in Gujarat's Saurashtra region that witnessed heavy rainfall on Tuesday, police said.

A 35-year-old woman and her 12-year-old son were struck by lightning at their farm in Rakka village at Lalpur in Jamnagar district, while two women were killed at Viramdad village in Devbhoomi Dwarka district, an official said.

In similar incidents, three persons died in a lightning strike at two villages in Botad district, he said.

The deceased included a five-year-old boy, his 60- year-old grandfather and a 17-year-old girl, the official said.

Bodies of the deceased were taken to the nearest hospitals for post-mortem, he added.

Heavy rains lashed several parts of Saurashtra, especially Jamnagar, Gir Somnath, Junagadh, Rajkot and Bhavnagar districts.

According to the meteorological department, Kalavad in Jamnagar received the maximum rainfall of 73 mm in just two hours on Tuesday afternoon, while Veraval in Gir Somnath district and Dhrol in Jamnagar district received 48 mm rainfall till 4 pm.

As many as nine talukas of Gujarat received over 40 mm rainfall between 6 am and 4 pm, it was stated.