Lightning kills 3 Sitamarhi labourers in Nawada paddy field
Synopsis
Three migrant labourers from Sitamarhi — an uncle and his two nephews — were killed by lightning while transplanting paddy in Nawada's Dariyapur village on 11 August. They had travelled from their native Madheshra village in search of seasonal wages. The Bihar government has announced ₹4 lakh compensation per family, but the deaths underscore the acute vulnerability of open-field agricultural workers to lightning during the monsoon season.
Key Takeaways
Three labourers — Mani Manjhi (60) , Rajendra Manjhi (20) , and Indrajit Manjhi (18) — were killed by lightning on 11 August in Dariyapur village, Nawada .
All three were from Madheshra village, Sitamarhi district , and were relatives — an uncle and two nephews.
They were part of a group of 12 seasonal labourers who had travelled to Rajauli, Nawada for paddy transplantation work.
A fourth labourer, Raghuvir Kumar , was present at the site and survived.
The Bihar state government has announced ₹4 lakh compensation to the family of each deceased.
Three seasonal labourers from Sitamarhi district were killed after lightning struck a paddy field in Rajauli, Nawada, on Tuesday, 11 August, while they were engaged in transplantation work. The victims — all relatives from the same village — died on the spot, and the Bihar state government has announced a compensation of ₹4 lakh to each of the bereaved families.
How the Incident Unfolded
A group of 12 labourers from Madheshra village, Sitamarhi, had travelled to the Rajauli area in search of seasonal employment during the paddy transplantation season. While some of the group were working in the nearby Raja Bigha village, four labourers were engaged in the field of local farmer Manoj Yadav in Dariyapur village under Amawan West Panchayat.
Dark clouds gathered rapidly over the area, and lightning struck the field amid heavy thunder. Three of the four labourers working in that field were fatally struck and died at the spot. A fourth labourer, Raghuvir Kumar, son of Ashok Manjhi, survived the strike.
The Deceased
The three victims have been identified as Mani Manjhi, aged 60; Rajendra Manjhi, aged 20, son of Rampreet Manjhi; and Indrajit Manjhi, aged 18, son of Indal Manjhi. All three were residents of Madheshra village in Sitamarhi district and were relatives — an uncle and his two nephews, according to preliminary information.
Response by Authorities
Villagers who learned of the tragedy rushed to the site and alerted the police and block administration. Two ambulances were subsequently dispatched to the location. The bodies were taken for the necessary formalities and post-mortem examination. The incident triggered widespread panic in the area.
Compensation and Impact
The Bihar state government has announced a compensation of ₹4 lakh to the family members of each of the three deceased. The victims had left their native village in Sitamarhi to earn seasonal wages to support their families — a common practice among agricultural labourers in the region during the kharif planting season. Their deaths have plunged both Madheshra village and the Dariyapur area into mourning. Bihar records among the highest lightning-related fatalities in India annually, with the state's flat terrain and monsoon intensity making open fields particularly hazardous during the season.
Point of View
And the victims are almost always agricultural labourers working in open fields during the kharif season. The ₹4 lakh compensation is the standard state response, but it does not address the structural gap — the near-total absence of real-time lightning alert systems or field-level warning protocols for migrant farm workers. These labourers had no weather forecast access and no shelter within reach. Until early-warning infrastructure reaches the last mile of rural Bihar, the monsoon will keep extracting the same toll from the same communities.
NationPress
11 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in Nawada, Bihar on 11 August?
Three seasonal labourers from Sitamarhi district were killed when lightning struck a paddy field in Dariyapur village, Rajauli, Nawada on 11 August. The victims died on the spot while engaged in paddy transplantation work.
Who were the labourers killed in the Nawada lightning strike?
The three deceased were Mani Manjhi (60), Rajendra Manjhi (20), and Indrajit Manjhi (18), all residents of Madheshra village in Sitamarhi district. They were relatives — an uncle and his two nephews — who had travelled to Nawada for seasonal agricultural work.
What compensation has the Bihar government announced?
The Bihar state government has announced ₹4 lakh in compensation to the family members of each of the three labourers killed in the lightning strike.
Did anyone survive the lightning strike?
Yes. A fourth labourer, Raghuvir Kumar, son of Ashok Manjhi and also a resident of Madheshra village, was present at the site when the lightning struck and survived the incident.
Why are Bihar's agricultural labourers especially vulnerable to lightning?
Bihar records among the highest lightning-related deaths in India each year. Migrant labourers working in open paddy fields during the monsoon have little or no access to real-time weather alerts or nearby shelter, making them acutely exposed when sudden storms develop.
