Four individuals, including a married couple, lost their lives, and a young boy sustained serious injuries in multiple lightning strikes in Madhya Pradesh. The incidents occurred amidst unseasonal rains accompanied by thunderstorms, resulting in a tragic toll, as reported by officials on Monday.
The state witnessed heavy showers, with some districts recording rainfall exceeding 100mm during the 24-hour period ending at 8:30 am on Monday. In Umarban village of Dhar district, tragedy struck on Sunday evening when a couple and their minor son were hit by lightning while returning home on a motorbike. Mukesh (28) and his wife Champa (27) succumbed to the immediate effects, while their 10-year-old son suffered critical burns and was admitted to a hospital, according to Umarban police outpost in-charge Prakash Alava.
In Jhabua district, 45-year-old Lungji Katara lost his life when lightning struck him while he was working in his agricultural field in Jhavaliya village on Sunday evening, as confirmed by Petlawad sub-divisional officer of police Saurabh Tomar. Additionally, a 48-year-old woman perished in a lightning strike during the afternoon in Junajhira village of Barwani district, shared Silawad police station sub-inspector Ayub Shaikh.
The unseasonal heavy showers affected various parts of Madhya Pradesh, with Jhabua receiving 110.3 mm, the highest among the rain-affected districts. Barwani district recorded 109 mm of rainfall. Other regions of western Madhya Pradesh, including Indore and Bhopal city, received 51 mm and 3.6 mm of precipitation, respectively, according to Ashfaq Husain, a senior meteorologist at IMD's Bhopal center. Notably, nine areas in Barwani district experienced rainfall ranging between 64.5 and 115.5 mm.
The untimely showers extended to many regions in western Madhya Pradesh and a few places in the eastern parts of the state over the last 24 hours.
