Lightning strikes kill 11 people in Punjab

NAROWAL: Lightning strikes killed at least 11 persons and injured five others in different parts of Punjab, ARY News reported on Sunday.

Amid heavy rainfall in different parts of the country, 11 persons lost their lives in lightning strikes in Narowal, Sialkot and Sheikhupura, whereas, five others got injured.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Narowal said that the lightning strike incidents were reported in Ratanpur, Panch Pir and Changwali in which five persons were killed and five injured.

The deceased persons included a five-year-old boy Saqlain Shah, 18-year-old Bilal and a 71-year-old elderly man in Shakargarh – Narowal today.

Four persons got injured in the lightning strike and have been shifted to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital.

READ: Lightning kills two brothers in Sukkur

In Sheikhupura, a man was killed in a lightning strike incident in Mandiala village.

In Sialkot, five persons were killed in lightning strikes in Pasrur tehsil of Sialkot.

Two children were killed after lightning strikes in suburban villages of Daska. A minor boy namely Jamshed was killed due to lightning strike while working in farms in Rampur village, whereas, a boy namely Abdul Qayyum lost his life after lightning strike in Bhagatpur.

Different parts of the country are receiving pre-monsoon rainfall including Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).

Rainfall with thunderstorm was also predicted in Balochistan, South Punjab and Sindh from June 26 to 29.

Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman warned of urban flooding in major cities, while showers could cause flash flooding in Punjab and trigger landslides in the hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Duststorms/wind-thunderstorms and heavy falls might cause damage to lose structures such as electrical poles, solar panels, hoardings, trees, and under-construction buildings. “People should stay away from electrical poles,” the minister advised.