Eight killed in lightning strikes in Jharkhand

Published 14 June 2026 · india

At least eight people, including three women and two boys, were killed in lightning strikes across six districts of Jharkhand, the police said on Sunday

At least eight people, including three women and two boys, were killed in lightning strikes across six districts of Jharkhand, the police said on Sunday (June 14, 2026). Two people each were killed in Ranchi and Garhwa districts, while the remaining deaths were reported in Chatra, Giridih, Seraikela-Kharsawan, and Jamtara districts. “At least eight people were killed in lightning strikes across Jharkhand in the last 24 hours,” a police officer told PTI on Sunday (June 14) morning. “Among the deceased are two persons from Ranchi district. They were identified as Jitu Mahli (55) of Badhu village and Nirasho Devi (33) of Katamkuli village. Both were struck by lightning while working in their fields,” Sub Inspector (SI) Sataydeo Prasad of Pithoria police station said.

The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination. In Garhwa, two persons, identified as Reena Devi (30), a resident of Sundi village in Kharaundhi police station area, and Ram Avtar Pal (65), a resident of Mukundpur village under Ketar police station limits, were killed, another police officer said. “Reena Devi was struck by lightning when she took shelter under a tree,” Kharaundhi police station in-charge Gulshan Kumar Gautam said. Ram Avtar Pal, a shepherd, was killed while he was grazing his sheep, SI Arun Kumar of Ketar police station said. In another such incident in Giridih, a 10-year-old boy died from burn injuries sustained from a lightning strike. “The victim was a resident of Ghoskedih village in Raj Dhanwar block.

He was rushed to Koderma Sadar Hospital, where he died during treatment,” Raj Dhanwar police station in-charge Barjesh Kumar said. In Chatra district, a 35-year-old woman labourer was killed after she was struck by lightning while working at the Eco Park, located behind the DC office in Sadar police station area. “The victim, Geeta Devi, a resident of Bario village within the same police station area, died en route to hospital,” Sadar police station officer-in-charge Awdhesh Kumar Singh said. In Seraikela-Kharsawan district, a 35-year-old man was killed and his father and minor daughter suffered injuries in a lightning strike in Rajnagar police station area, a police officer said. The incident occurred when the victim, Sanjay Deogam, his nine-year-old daughter, and his father (60) took shelter in a hut in Sandirdih village.

All three were rushed to Rajnagar Community Health Centre, where doctors declared Sanjay dead, the officer said. In Jamtara, a 10-year-old boy was killed in a lightning strike in Bithara village in Karmatar police station area. “The incident occurred when a man, identified as Mohril Miyan, along with his three children, was going to his field when a bolt of lightning struck the area, killing his 10-year-old son on the spot. The man and his other two children sustained minor injuries and are out of danger,” Karmatar police station officer-in-charge Alakh Choubey said.