Three labourers died while one was seriously injured in a lightning strike during thunderstorm at Raimal village in Patiala district on Saturday.
The deceased have been identified as Gurpreet Singh (22) and Gulzar Singh (20), both of Raimal Majri village, and Gurlal Singh (40) of Dhanauri village in the district.
The incident happened around 11am when they were working at a local brick kiln. Another labourer, Lakhbir Singh, is battling for his life at Rajindra Hospital in Patiala.
“After its started raining, the four labourers had taken shelter in a shack at the kiln when the lightning struck. Three of them died on the spot,” said Sukhdev Singh, station house officer, Bhadson. “The matter came to light when a group of people visited the kiln after the rain stopped.”
The bodies were sent to the Nabha civil hospital for the postmortem. Villagers demanded immediate financial compensation for the victims’ families. According to villagers, Gurpreet’s wife is expecting their first child and is seven-month pregnant.