4 students among 8 killed by lightning

Raipur: Eight individuals, including four students and a child, died after being struck by lightning in the Somni police station area of Rajnandgaon district, Chhattisgarh, on Monday.
Somni Station House Officer Ramendra Singh said that four of the victims were students returning home after their quarterly examination. The other victims included three adults and a child who had gone to pick up one of the students, as per the SHO.
The victims had taken shelter under a Tendu tree to protect themselves from the rain when lightning struck.They were all taken to the district hospital, where they were declared dead on arrival. Further details are awaited, the SHO said.
The victims were identified as Chiman Devashan, 35, a resident of Basantpur; Anil Kumar, 35, a resident of Joratarai; Nitin Dhankar, 17, a resident of Joratarai; Ravi Patel, 17; Piyush Sahu, 17, a resident of Mangattha; Sharad Yadu, 17, a resident of Mangattha; Shashikant, 17, a resident of Mangattha; and Pardeshi Vishwakarma, 50, a resident of Kopedi village.
Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai has expressed deep condolences to the deceased and their families following the incident. He has directed district administration officials to provide immediate assistance and arrange for the treatment of the injured. The administration has approved a financial assistance grant of Rs 4 lakh each to families of the deceased.
On Monday, meteorologists predicted moderate cloud-to-ground lightning with moderate rain in isolated places over Balod, Balodabazar, Bemetara, Durg, Kabirdham, Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai, Kondagaon, Mahasamund, Mohla Manpur Ambagarh Chowki, Mungeli, Raipur, and Rajnandgaon.