Girl Who Lost Father Earlier Dies While Bidding Farewell to Mother
Key Points:
- Lightning kills 9-year-old girl and 32-year-old man in Seraikela village
- Tragedy strikes during shraadh ritual for a deceased woman
- Four others injured, undergoing treatment at Seraikela hospital
SERAIKELA – Lightning struck during a religious ritual in Nuagura village on Sunday, killing two people and injuring four others.
The incident occurred in the Murkum panchayat area, under the jurisdiction of the Seraikela district. Nine-year-old Roshni Suren and 32-year-old Sonu Sardar died on the spot after being struck.
Meanwhile, four other people sustained serious injuries in the incident. All the injured are undergoing treatment at Seraikela Sadar Hospital.
According to residents, family members, relatives and villagers had gathered in large numbers for a shraadh ceremony being held for a deceased woman. However, the weather suddenly turned during the religious rites.
Lightning struck amid a loud clap of thunder, catching those present off guard. Within moments, the gathering turned into chaos as people screamed and ran for safety.
Besides those who died, several others fell to the ground during the panic. Some sustained minor injuries in addition to the two fatalities.
Six-year-old Malti Suren and a child identified as Baby Suren were among the four seriously injured. A few others also suffered minor injuries in the incident.
The tragedy carried additional weight for one family. Roshni Suren had already lost her father before Sunday’s incident.
The shraadh ceremony being held on Sunday was for her mother. Roshni, who had come to bid her mother a final farewell, was also killed by the lightning strike, extinguishing the family’s last hope.
On the other hand, residents of the village described being unable to put the coincidence into words. Grief spread through Nuagura village as news of the deaths circulated.
Seraikela police station in-charge Vinay Kumar reached the spot with a police team and ambulance soon after being informed. The injured were immediately taken to the hospital for treatment.
Police sent both bodies for post-mortem examination and initiated further legal proceedings. “This has become a wound that will never heal, not just for one family but for the entire village,” a local resident said.
Lightning-related fatalities have been recorded in the Seraikela-Kharsawan region before, including one instance where a lightning strike proved fatal in the district. Similar tragedies have struck nearby areas as well, such as when lightning killed a couple during a storm in Galudih.
Elsewhere in the region, a lightning strike claimed a young boy’s life in Baharagora, leaving his mother injured. In addition, a Tata Motors driver was tragically killed by lightning in Bari Nagar.
Authorities have previously issued warnings ahead of such weather events, including a storm and lightning warning for Jharkhand areas. Officials in Jamshedpur have also appealed for lightning safety measures to protect lives and property during the monsoon season.
