Lightning strikes claimed at least 31 lives in Jharkhand in the past three days, taking the death toll to 46 in less than a month, police said on Thursday.
At least 21 people died after being struck by lightning since Tuesday night and six of them, including two minors, were from Jamtara. Lightning struck five of them while they were returning after bathing in a pond and took shelter under a bridge during rains in Kushmapahadi block of Jamtara, Circle Officer Chandradev Prasad said. A 60-year-old woman also died due to lightning strike here, he added.
Besides, lightning claimed lives of two villagers in each of Ramgarh, Dumka, Pakur, Giridih, Garhwa and Gumla districts, Officer In-Charge of the concerned police stations told the media. One death each was reported from Palamu, Bokaro and Deoghar districts, police said.
Earlier this month, at least five deaths were reported from Latehar, four from Chatra and one from Garhwa. Besides the deceased, at least a dozen people are undergoing treatments at various Government hospitals after sustaining injuries caused by lightning strikes, sources said.
The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) has already disbursed funds to all the districts for payment to the families of the deceased and those suffering from injuries. “We have disbursed funds to the districts in advance. The concerned Deputy Commissioner can send the compensation amount to the families of the deceased and also use it for treatment of people injured in lightning strikes,” said Manish Tiwari, Joint Secretary of SDMA.
Tiwari added that the SDMA was working on several new projects that may help prevent deaths caused by lightning. Some of the projects, he said, may get launched within a month or so.
Lightning has been declared a natural disaster in Jharkhand. The Government pays a compensation of Rs.4 lakh to the family of people who die in lightning strikes here.