At least six persons, including a girl aged under four years, were killed and several others injured early today when thunderstorm lashed parts of Bihar, uprooting trees, electric poles and billboards.
According to a release issued by the state disaster management department, two women were killed in Saran district where Kanti Devi (50) was crushed to death by an uprooted tree in Sadar block while Ram Pati Devi (55) was struck by lightning in Masrakh.
Three-and-a-half-year-old Aradhana Kumari died in Khagaria district when the roof of her house collapsed due to the thunderstorm accompanied by rainfall.
Her sister Aditi (05) and mother Seema (32) have sustained serious injuries.
Akhilesh Rai (35) was killed in a wall collapse in Yaduvanshi Nagar Bagicha of Patna while an uprooted tree fell on Krishna Gaur (40) in Sasaram block of Rohtas.
Besides, Dharmendra Chaupal (30) died in Darbhanga district after being struck by lightning.
According to the weather department, winds blowing at the speed of 60 km per hour, accompanied by lightning and showers, swept across the state between 1 am and 2 am.
"lectricity supply was disrupted in various parts of the state, especially in north Bihar, as the storm uprooted hundreds of trees, resulting in snapping of cables and collapse of poles. The supply has been restored in all affected areas," Pratyay Amrit, Principal Secretary for the departments of power and disaster management, told PTI.
Bihar Governor Satya Pal Mallik and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar issued statements expressing grief over the loss of life and property and wished early recovery for those who have sustained injuries.
The CM also issued instructions for "expeditious payment of ex-gratia to the next of the kin of the deceased", an official release said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)