Uttar Pradesh: 6 dead, 1 injured in lightning strikes in Azamgarh

Six people have lost their lives and one child has been injured after being struck by lightning in the Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh.

District Administration officials confirmed that five people were killed by lightning strikes in the Barwa Sagar, which comes under Mehnagar police station. One person died in a similar incident at Maharajganj town in Azamgarh.

“So far six people have been electrocuted in the district, one child is injured, whose treatment is going on. Family members of all the deceased will be provided with a fixed amount within 24 hours,” District Magistrate Vishal Bhardwaj told ANI.

Azamgarh lightning strike victims to receive ex gratia relief from UP CM

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday expressed his grief about the recent lightning strike-caused deaths that occurred in the Azamgarh and Ghazipur districts.

The Chief Minister announced a relief amount of ₹4 lakh to the next of kin of those who died and also instructed authorities to provide proper treatment to the injured.

The Uttar Pradesh government issued a set of guidelines to deal with electrical issues caused by thunderstorms and lightning.

Lightning fatalities have been on the rise in India, and 907 people lost their lives in 2022 due to lightning strikes.