Mother, son killed in lightning in Gorakhpur

A 50-year-old woman and her son were charred to death on Friday when lightning struck them in Hata of Kushinagar district.

A 50-year-old woman and her son were charred to death on Friday when lightning struck them in Hata of Kushinagar district.

The deceased were identified as Aarti and her son Krishna. The bodies had been sent for autopsy. (Representative image)

The deceased were identified as Aarti and her son Krishna. The bodies had been sent for autopsy.

SDM Promod Tiwari and MLA Pawan Kedia rushed to the site with police personnel.

Aarti and her 13-year-old son, belonging to nomadic Nat community, were living on roadside in a plastic tent when lighting fell on it, leaving them dead.

Police said that Kanhaiyya, the family head luckily escaped as he was out in the field.

BJP MLA Pawan Kedia said, “The deceased were not permanent residents of this region and did not possess any Aadhar cards. I will ensure that monetary assistance is given to family of deceased by opening their bank account.”

Meanwhile, a dense fog enveloped Gorakhpur on Thursday night. The foggy condition lasted for almost three hours.

The visibility reduced to 500 meters due to the dense fog. Some residents also confused it with fogging or chemical spraying by local authorities to disinfect the locality. Some people also complained about itching in their eyes during the period.

When approached, Govind Pandey, professor department of environment science at Madan Mohan University of Technology (MMMUT) said “It is attributed to risen humidity caused by sunshine after rainfall on Thursday. Also, burning of some agri-waste added to smoke. The moisture in air and smoke led to smog like scene.”