4 killed in separate lightning strike incidents in UP

Four people died in separate lightning strike incidents in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday as rain and hailstorms lashed parts of the state, a senior official said.

Relief Commissioner Naveen Kumar said that the deaths were reported from Lakhimpur Kheri, Hardoi, Sitapur and Shahjahanpur.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, according to a government release, expressed deep grief over the loss of lives due to lightning in various districts of the state and has given instructions to immediately provide financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the deceased.

Adityanath has directed the concerned district magistrates to immediately provide permissible financial assistance to the affected people in cases of loss of animals, damage to houses due to disasters like lightning, hailstorm, heavy rain, storm etc, the release said. The relief commissioner said that Farrukhabad, Kannauj, Muzaffarnagar, Jalaun, Jhansi, Kanpur Dehat, Shahjahanpur, Lalitpur and Saharanpur were hit by hailstorms between 8:30 am and 2:30 pm.

Rain was also reported in Ayodhya, Azamgarh, Badaun, Baghpat, Bahraich, Balrampur, Bareilly, Deoria, Etah, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Hardoi, Kanpur Nagar, Rampur, Sambhal, Sant Kabir Nagar, Bhadohi, Shravasti, Sitapur, Sonbhadra, Sultanpur, Unnao, Varanasi, Lakhimpur Kheri, Lucknow, Mainpuri, Mathura, Mau and Rae Bareli districts, Kumar said.

He said there is a report of collapse of a house due to excessive rain in Mathura, where the tehsildar has been sent for investigation.

Information has been received about partial damage to houses due to lightning in Saharanpur district, Kumar added.