Four women killed in lightning strike in Cuddalore district, one severely injured

Cuddalore: Four women were charred to death and one suffered severe burns and vision problems after being struck by lightning while working on a farm at Ariyanachi village near Veppur in Cuddalore district on Wednesday.Police said Sivakumar of Ariyanachi owns farmland in the area where he cultivated maize. He engaged four women from Kaluthur village: Kanitha, 38, wife of Velmurugan; Rajeshwari alias Chinnaponnu, 41, daughter of Arjunan; Parijatham, 45, wife of Ramasamy; and Thavamani, 36, wife of Kathiravan, as farmhands. Sivakumar’s wife Rajeshwari, 38, was also working alongside them. Around 1pm, heavy rain accompanied by thunder and lightning started.

But despite the weather, the women continued their work. Suddenly, lightning struck the group, killing Kanitha, Rajeshwari, Parijatham and Rajeshwari on the spot. Thavamani suffered severe burns and her vision was affected.

When the women failed to return home even by 6pm, their families went to the field to check and found the four women dead. Thavamani was taken to the Veppur Govt Hospital, where she is receiving treatment. A team from Veppur police station reached the spot, retrieved the bodies and sent them to the Tittakudi Govt Hospital for postmortem.