A thunderbolt strike at Arepalli village of Bheemaram mandal in Mancherial district on Sunday killed three farmers.
Unseasonal rainfall, accompanied by lightning and gales, caused economic loss too.
According to Bheemaram SI Mangilal, Ramtenki Rajaiah, Dommari Babu alias Rajam, aged 50 years, and Jadi Ramesh, aged 32 years, were camping in their paddy fields to protect the harvested crop outside the village. They had slept in a shed at night but the gales had blown away the corrugated tin roofing and exposed them to the inclement weather.
A thunderbolt is believed to have struck the area between 3.00 a.m and 5.30 a.m, resulting in the death of the unsuspecting farmers. The dead bodies were discovered in the morning.