Lightning strikes 2 dead in Rampur; 24 sheep, goats washed away in Bharmour

Two Nepalese workers were killed after being struck by lightning in Mashnoo panchayat, Rampur, in Shimla district on Monday night.

The victims are Resham and Vishal, of Rapti Anchal, Nepal. They worked in the orchard of one Sishupal of Mashnoo.

Rampur sub-divisional police officer Chander Shekhar said the duo were returning from work when it started raining, forcing them to seek shelter under a tree that was struck by lightning rendering them unconscious. The injured were rushed to a hospital in Sarahan where the doctors declared the victims dead on arrival. Police have initiated inquest proceedings under the Section 174 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

Flashflood wreaks havoc

In another incident, at least 24 sheep and goats were washed away in a flashflood triggered by heavy rainfall in Poolan panchayat of the tribal Bharmaur sub-division in Chamba district.

Police said Madan Lal, a shepherd, was camping in the fields with his livestock on Monday night when they were struck by a flashflood. Lal escaped but around two dozen of his livestock were washed away. Bharmour sub- divisional magistrate Manish Kumar Soni said a team of revenue official had been sent to the spot to assess the loss.

Pandoh receives heaviest rainfall

At 31mm, Pandoh in Mandi district witnessed the highest rainfall, followed by Chamba (16 mm), Keylong (15 mm), Seohbag in Kullu (12 mm), Mandi town (11mm) and Bajaura and Kheri 10mm each.

Keylong and Kalpa were the coldest in the state with a minimum temperature of 6.7°C each. Una was the warmest with a day temperature of 36.7°C.

The meteorological department has forecast rain and thunderstorm across the state till May 15. A yellow warning for thunderstorm, lightening, hailstorm and gusty winds (30-40km/hr) has been issued in low and middle hills for May 12 and 13.