Thunderstorm Fallout: Woman, daughter die after billboard falls on SUV; driver injured

The victims have been identified as Priti and her daughter Angel. Following the accident, the mother-daughter duo and the driver were rushed to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.

LUCKNOW A woman and her daughter died while their driver sustained grievous injuries as a huge billboard collapsed on their SUV, trapping them all inside the vehicle. The incident took place at the Ekana Stadium during the thunderstorm that hit the state capital on Monday evening.

A huge signboard fell over the SUV outside Ekana sports city in Lucknow. (Deepak Gupta)

The victims have been identified as Priti and her daughter Angel. Following the accident, the mother-daughter duo and the driver were rushed to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. While the mother and the daughter succumbed to their injuries, the driver is still undergoing treatment.

Earlier, fire tenders from two fire stations -- including Gomti Nagar and Indira Nagar -- were rushed to the Ekana Stadium. The three people on-board the SUV were pulled out due to the combined efforts of police, fire department, and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams.

According to initial reports, the billboard collapsed due to a technical fault. The iron frame, which was holding three billboards, came crashing down in the thunderstorm. The debris fell on the SUV that was parked below the billboard.

“A billboard at the Ekana Stadium fell on an SUV due to the thunderstorm. The incident trapped three people, including a mother-daughter duo, inside the vehicle,” said Vineet Jaiswal, deputy commissioner of police (Lucknow South).

According to Mohammad Danish, incharge of the Met department, Lucknow, a thunderstorm of 39 km/ph hit the state capital around 4.30 pm. Eastern parts of the state are likely to face similar thunderstorms on Tuesday, he added.