Six people died after lightning struck them during heavy rain in some districts of Marathwada on Saturday,reports from the divisional commissioner office said. The unusual rain in summer also left seven people injured and six animals dead. Two persons died in Nanded and one death each was reported from Beed,Hingoli,Latur and Osmanabad districts. The dead included three women,a boy and a State Reserve Police Force constable,Rajkumar Rekhle,45. Rekhle was struck by lightning when he took cover from the rain under a tree,reports said. Chandrabhaga Sidam,35,and Rukhmabai Sidam,55,died in Mahur tehsil of Nanded district. Shripad Dange,28,was working in a farm when it started to rain heavily. He took shelter under a tree but was struck by lightning and died. Kalpana Gade died in Ambajogai of Beed and a six-year-old boy,yet to be identified,was struck by lightning and electrocuted in Osmanabad district,reports said. Preliminary reports indicated crop losses but exact figures in were not available. Commercial crops such as mango were worst hit. Meanwhile,in Aurangabad,the mercury has been climbing steadily. On Friday,it touched 43.5 on the Celsius scale,the highest this summer.
