Lightning strike kills minor girl, injures four others in Indirapuram

The police identified the deceased girl as Ajmerun, while the doctors at Sanjay Nagar combined district hospital identified the four injured women by their first names as Jasmin, 18, Shabnam, 30, Shalu, 35, and Ajmeri, 32

A 13-year-old girl was killed and four of her relatives were injured after they were struck by lightning near their house at Makanpur in Indirapuram, Ghaziabad police officers said.

A video of the lighting strike was captured by a CCTV camera nearby. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The police identified the deceased as Ajmerun Khatoon. The injured were her sister Jasmin, 18, and her aunts Shabnam Khatoon, 30, Shalu, 35, and Ajmeri, 32, all of whom are currently undergoing treatment at the Sanjay Nagar combined district hospital and are said to be stable. Police have so far referred to Shalu and Ajmeri by their first names.

Indirapuram assistant commissioner of police Swatantra Kumar Singh said the incident took place at around 8.45am, soon after it started raining in the area. “A lightning strike killed the girl, while the other injured persons were rushed to hospital for treatment. The incident occurred near a temple,” the ACP said.

The injured women are all daily wagers and are originally from Bihar, said police.

A purported video of the lighting strike was captured by a CCTV camera nearby. The video captured a loud sound with a flash of light amid the trees, and later women could be heard shouting and screaming as people rushed to help them.

HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

Mohammad Tabrez alias Parvez, the father of the deceased, said Ajmerun died on the spot.

“The women (the four injured) were going for work when it started raining. They took shelter below a tree. Ajmerun, who was on her way to the nearby market, also joined the women under the tree,” he said.

“After a while, there was a loud explosion as lightning struck the tree. Ajmerun collapsed on the spot and even her hair got burnt. The four women suffered shock and minor burn injuries. The police were called and the four women were rushed to a hospital for treatment,” he said.

Surya Prakash, the priest of a nearby temple, said he rushed out after hearing a loud boom. “I rushed out and found the women and the girl on the ground. There was waterlogging at the spot. Everyone was in a state of shock and it took us some time to realise what had happened,” Prakash said.

Police said the five relatives were rushed to the Sanjay Nagar combined district hospital, where Ajmerun was pronounced dead on arrival. The hospital also alerted district administration officials, who reached the spot.

“The doctors declared Ajmerun dead on arrival. Her sister Jasmin and the other three women were admitted to the hospital for burn injuries,” said Vinay Kumar Singh, subdivisional magistrate (sadar).

Dr Vinod Pandey, the chief medical superintendent of the hospital, said all four women are stable. “They are under treatment and suffered minor injuries and shock. They are stable,” he said.

Vivek Srivastava, additional district magistrate (finance), said the family of the deceased will get ₹4 lakh compensation as the death had occurred due to a natural calamity.

“The documents are getting prepared. Under the provision, the injured will get ₹5,400 per person if the treatment at hospital is up to one week. If it is more than a week, they will get ₹16,000 as per norms,” Srivastava said.