Two dead in lightning strike in HP
SHIMLA:Two persons were killed and eight others injured after being struck by a lightning in Kharahan village of Shimla district in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.
The incident took place when a police party, along with some people, was coming back from a jungle with the body of an unidentified man, who died after falling from a hill top.
The two deceased have been identified as Gulshan Kumar (24) and Tara Chand (32). The injured, including three cops, have been admitted to Regional Hospital, Khaneri, Rampur.
Meanwhile, rain coupled with hailstorm hit several parts of the state. Capital town Shimla was covered in a thick blanket of fog, which slowed down traffic on the Shimla-Kalka highway for several hours on Wednesday morning. It also affected traffic movement on the main circular road during the morning rush hour. Electricity supply and internet services remained affected in many localities of the town.
Due to lightning, the generator room of Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla, caught fire. It was contained after over an hour.
The rain spell along with thunderstorm has severely impacted the horticulture crop. Hailstorm battered stone fruit and apple orchards in Sheel, Sungri, Bharhal, Kharapathar and Jubbal area of Shimla district.
“Apple orchards are in the beginning of flowering stage while stone fruits are at full bloom. At this point, rainfall was required not the hailstorm,” said Lekh Raj, a farmer from Mandhol in Shimla district said.
The fresh spell of snow and rains brought down mercury by 2 to 3 degree Celsius across the state. Shimla Met centre director Manmohan Singh said more rains are expected in lower, mid and higher reaches.