Lightning claims half a dozen lives in Kaushambi while in a similar incident in Jaunpur, about a dozen farmers working in their fields were critically burnt.
The injured were admitted to hospital.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed deep grief over this loss of lives in lightning and directed the district administration to provide financial assistance to the families of all the deceased and proper treatment to the injured.
According to reports from Kaushambi, two people were severely scorched due to celestial lightning. Lakshmi (35 years), resident of Koripur village under West Sharra police station of the district, Ramprasad (50 years), resident of Bhakkatanpurwa under Sarai Akil police station, Bittan Devi and Basant Pasi (45) hailing from Kasu village under Charava police station area, and Bittan and Dharmendra, a resident of Lodhore village, died due to lightning.
In Jaunpur, eight farmers were scorched due to lightning in Sujanganj area of the district. Three of them were sent to the district hospital in critical conditions. Police sources said that eight labourers were planting paddy in a farm in Guwawa village of the area and as it started raining heavily, they took shelter under the tin shed near the farm. A lightning struck in the downpour, they all were seriously injured. They were admitted to the community health centre in Sujanganj. Due to the critical condition of three injured, they were referred to the district hospital. The injured included Nanhelal (30), Baijnath (60), Pyarelal (40), Urmila (37), Shobhanath (60), Rupesh (25), Khalik (42), Ramkumar (52).