Chhattisgarh news: 7 killed, 3 injured in lightning strike in Balodabazar-Bhatapara district, say officials

Seven persons were killed, 3 others injured in lightning strike in Chhattisgarh's Balodabazar-Bhatapara district on Sunday, officials said.

Balodabazar-Bhatapara district administration said the incident took place Sunday evening in Mohtara village when the victims were working in a field.

"As per preliminary information, these persons gathered at the edge of a pond near their field amid heavy rainfall when lightning struck,” news agency PTI quoted a district official of Balodabazar-Bhatapara, as saying.

The lightning strike victims were identified as Mukesh (20), Tankar Sahu (30), Santosh Sahu (40), Thaneshwar Sahu (18), Pokhraj Vishwakarma (38), Dev Das (22) and Vijay Sahu (23).

All three injured persons have been hospitalised, the official added.

Earlier on September 6, Chhattisgarh reported death of two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in a lightning strike at an anti-Naxalite training centre of the paramilitary force in Dantewada. The incident occurred around 3 pm when a training session was underway at the facility in the Barsoor police station area of the district, a CRPF official said.

Separately, Odisha reported 1,625 deaths due to lightning strikes in last five years. 372 persons were killed due to lightning strikes during the financial year 2019-20, while 338 death cases were reported in 2020-21 and 294 during 2021-22.

The state has reported 334 lightning death cases in 2022-23 and another 287 such death cases during 2023-24.

It is important to note that Odisha recorded the highest lightning-related fatalities in the country during the period as the states with higher mineral deposits tend to record more lightning fatalities because minerals are good conductors of electricity.

A maximum of 151 people were killed due to lightning strikes in tribal-dominated Mayurbhanj district, followed by Ganjam district, where 114 people lost their lives due to the natural disaster.

Keonjhar and Balasore district each reported 111 lightning deaths during these five years while Boudh district witnessed 14 such death cases, which is the lowest in the state.