11 killed in lightning strikes across Jharkhand in 24 hours

Ranchi,UPDATED: Jun 22, 2026 21:58 IST

At least 11 people, including three women and a 10-year-old girl, were killed in lightning strikes across Jharkhand over the last 24 hours, police said on Monday.

Four deaths were reported from Khunti district, two from Ramgarh, and one each from Lohardaga, Deoghar, Jamtara, Sahibganj and Giridih, according to police. The incidents took place in fields, near a forest, under a tree, and while people were returning home or playing outdoors.

In Khunti district, four people were killed in separate incidents on Sunday. Two people died after being struck by lightning near the ground while they were heading towards a nearby forest. The dead included a 16-year-old boy and a 42-year-old man, identified as Sukhram Munda.

In another incident, 22-year-old Prem Bakhala was killed and three others suffered burn injuries after lightning struck while they were playing cricket in Patratoli village. The injured were admitted to a government hospital in Ranchi for treatment.

In a third incident, 52-year-old farmer Nistrar Topno died after being struck by lightning while working in a field in Ronhe village.

In Lohardaga district, 35-year-old Rekha Devi died after lightning struck her while she was working in a field in Kairo village on Monday. She was taken to the district hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival, Kairo officer-in-charge Kundan Kumar Ravani said.

In Sahibganj, Barharwa SDPO Nitin Khandelwal told PTI, "A 10-year-old girl, Porayani Hembrom, was killed by a lightning strike in Sahibganj district. The incident took place in Bandargoda village when she was playing under a tree."

In Deoghar, 30-year-old Mundrika Devi died after being struck by lightning while taking shelter under a tree in a field in Basbutiya village.

In Giridih, an elderly man, identified as Sitaram Hansda, was killed in Tuktuko village while returning home with his wife, Bagodar police station in-charge Rajesh Singh said. In Jamtara, 30-year-old Lalin Soren was killed in Badoliya village when he went fishing in a waterbody, Nala officer-in-charge Vikash Kumar said.

In Ramgarh district, two people died in separate incidents. Chitarpur Circle Officer Deepak Minj said 49-year-old farmer Mansi Devi died after being struck by lightning while working in a field and was declared dead on arrival at hospital.

In another incident, a 68-year-old man from Dundigachhi village was killed after being struck by lightning while returning home, another official said.

The deaths were reported from several parts of Jharkhand within a day, with Khunti recording the highest number of fatalities. The victims included people working in fields, children and adults outdoors, and others caught in sudden strikes while travelling or taking shelter.

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