Lightning strike kills two in Uttarakhand district

DEHRADUN: Two persons from a family died when lightning struck the common courtyard of their houses in Sarpaani village in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand on Friday night.

Hema Devi, 33, and her brother-in-law, Jai Prakash, 29, were rushed to the nearby Community Health Centre where doctors declared them dead.

Lightning struck while Hema and Jai were sleeping in the common courtyard of adjoining houses in Taulri Tok, inhabited by members of the scheduled caste community.

On hearing the sound, locals rushed to the scene and found the two victims in critical condition. While the family has 12 members, at the time of the incident, only Hema and Jai were at home.

Hema and Jai were engaged in farming,tending to fields owned by their family.