Kolkata: A total of 27 people were killed due to lightning in various parts of West Bengal including 11 in Hooghly, nine in Murshidabad, two in Bankura, two each in East Midnapore and West Midnapore and one in Nadia
Earlier, the West Bengal State disaster management authority had said that 20 people were killed due to lightning in the three southern districts of the state including Murshidabad, Hooghly and Purba Medinipur district.
Read: 9 killed in lightning strikes in Murshidabad, West Bengal
Six farmers died in a lightning strike while working in the field at Raghunathganj in Murshidabad. In another incident, five people were killed in a lightning strike in the Arambagh sub-division while they were returning from the farmland. In Haripal, a person named Dilip Ghosh died in a lightning strike. Sushmita Kole, a housewife from Singur, was struck by lightning when she was returning from work. In another incident, a man named Harun Rashid died in Polba Dadpur. Another man named Sanjit Samanta died in Rashidpur area of Tarakeswar in Goghat.
Eight people who were seriously injured in the lightning strikes are undergoing treatment at Jangipur Sub-Divisional Hospital.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of those who were killed.
In a tweet, he said: "My thoughts are with all those who lost their near and dear ones due to lightning in parts of West Bengal. May the injured recover at the earliest."
The PMO tweeted, "PM Narendra Modi has approved an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the PMNRF for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to lightning in various parts of West Bengal. Rs. 50,000 would be given to the injured".
Read: Lightning kills four people in West Bengal
Union Home Minister Amit Shah in a tweet said, "the loss of lives due to lightning in different parts of West Bengal is deeply saddening. My sincerest condolences to the families of those who have lost their loved ones. Praying for the speedy recovery of those injured."
with agency inputs
