Lightning strikes across Khagaria district in Bihar killed five people, including a father and his eight-year-old son, on Thursday, 11 June, as sudden adverse weather caught farmers and labourers working in open fields. Several others sustained injuries in the multiple incidents, which spread fear across affected villages and prompted district authorities to initiate disaster relief procedures.

Tragedy in Kanhauli Village

The deadliest single incident unfolded in Kanhauli village under Baltara Panchayat in the Gogri block, where approximately a dozen villagers were harvesting maize when the sky darkened rapidly and heavy rain set in. As workers scrambled for shelter, lightning struck the field, killing three people on the spot. The deceased were identified as Ashutosh Yadav, Vidyanand Yadav, and Ashutosh Yadav's eight-year-old son. Two other villagers sustained injuries and were hospitalised; doctors confirmed both are currently out of danger. The deaths of the father and son have plunged Kanhauli into mourning, with family members and neighbours struggling to come to terms with the sudden loss.

Two More Deaths in Beldaur Area

In the Beldaur police station area of the same district, lightning struck at multiple locations, killing two more youths and injuring five others. Kush Mahto, 21, was collecting crop residue in fields near Nardapur village at around 8:30 am when lightning struck during a sudden downpour; he died on the spot. Tractor driver Ajnash Mahto suffered severe burn injuries in the same weather event and was rushed to the Community Health Centre in Beldaur, where he later succumbed despite treatment. A separate strike in Itmadi village in the same region left five more people with severe burns; authorities said the identities of those victims were still being verified at the time of reporting.

Administration Response

Amit Kumar, Circle Officer of Beldaur, visited the affected areas and supervised relief operations, with ambulances arranged to transport the injured to the Community Health Centre. Kumar confirmed that at least two deaths and five injuries had been officially recorded in the Beldaur area. The administration has initiated procedures for compensation under government disaster relief provisions, officials said.

Fear Among Farmers, Calls for Awareness

The incidents have heightened anxiety among farmers and agricultural labourers who work in open fields as weather conditions continue to fluctuate across the region. Local residents have urged authorities to launch widespread public awareness campaigns on lightning safety and to expedite compensation to the bereaved families. This comes amid a broader pattern of lightning fatalities in Bihar during the pre-monsoon and early monsoon season, when sudden convective storms are common across the Gangetic plains.