Eight persons from a remote tribal community residing near Coonoor were injured in a lightning strike that hit the village on late Friday evening.
Police said that the village of Chinnala Combai, located around seven km. from Pilloor Mattam, witnessed thunderstorms for most parts of the day. One lightning was said to have hit the heart of the village, where around 70 people from the Kurumba tribal community reside.
The lightning strike injured eight people in the village, identified as Selvi, 21, Valli, 26, Nagammal, 25, Kamala, 43, Malliga, 50, Vignesh, 7, and Deepa, 20.
Police said that they had been informed of the incident on Friday evening, and ambulances were also rushed to the village. However, due to the lack of a proper road leading to the village, the ambulance which was headed to the village got stuck in the loose mud caused by the rain. As a result, the eight victims were unable to receive first aid for over 17 hours, as another ambulance reached the village only on Saturday morning. All eight persons were rushed to the Coonoor Government Hospital. Doctors treating the victims said that most had suffered only minor injuries to their legs. However, they said that they will have to reassess the health of one of the victims, Deepa, as she is three months pregnant. They said that a scan will have to be taken to make sure that the foetus is healthy. Local residents urged the district administration to lay roads for them, to ensure that they get better access to healthcare.
