11 people murdered in Bengal’s Malda by lighting

According to authorities, lightning killed up to eleven people in West Bengal’s Malda district on Thursday.

Three children and one elderly person were among the deceased.

Some were in the mango orchards gathering fruit, while others were working on farms when they were hit by the lights.

The names of the dead were Asit Saha, 19, Sheikh Sabrul, 11, Rana Sheikh, 11, Atul Mondal, 65, Sumitra Mondal, 45, Nayan Ray, 23, Priyanka Sinha, 20, Chandan Sahani, 40, Monojit Mondal, 21, Raj Mridha, 16, and Pankaj Mondal, 25.

Four areas of Malda—Old Malda, Manikchawk, English Bazar, and Harishchandrapur—have recorded these fatalities.

The state government has said that each victim’s family would get compensation worth Rs 2 lakh.

District Magistrate Nitin Singhania said that data on the number of fatalities due to lighting is being gathered from every block in the district.

“The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examinations,” he said.