Lucknow, July 10: Many districts in Uttar Pradesh have been affected by the havoc of rain and lightning. 21 people have lost their lives within 24 hours in different districts of the state. 18 have died due to lightning, two due to drowning and one due to snakebite. Most deaths have occurred in Pratapgarh. Here, 10 people have lost their lives in different police station areas.
According to the district administration, farmer Arjun (45), his wife Suman (42), who were planting paddy crop in Purushottampur village of Kandhai police station area, Ram Pyari (48) of Amhara village of Kandhai, Vijay Kumar Verma (40) of Hamirpur Neem Dabha village, Aradhana (50) of Tilhar Derwa village, advocate Pankaj Tiwari (38) of Saifu Ka Purwa village, Kanti (20) of Atauriya village lost their lives after being struck by lightning. Similarly, Shiv Patel (25) of Manar village, Guddu Saroj (38) of Ashogi village and Ram Swaroop (65) of Sangramgarh Naya Ka Purwa village also died due to lightning.Â
Apart from this, Ruplal (52), Pannu Sahni (32) of Babhanpura village of Chaubepur and two fishermen, who were residents of Kunda village, died after being struck by rain and lightning in Chandauli district. 12 people have been burnt.
Along with this, two people have died in Varanasi and one each in Ghazipur-Etawah due to lightning. Nine people have been burnt in Ghazipur and one in Etawah, who are being treated in the hospital.
The relief department has informed that on the instructions of the government, the district magistrates have been instructed to provide financial assistance to the affected families. Also, to protect against disasters, officers and employees are organizing Chaupals in every village.
It is worth mentioning that in Uttar Pradesh, an average rainfall of 2.3 mm has occurred in 24 hours, which is 26.7 percent compared to the normal rainfall of 8.6 mm. Thus, 213.2 mm rainfall has occurred from June 1 to July 10. 633 villages in a total of 12 districts of the state have been affected by floods
