Ten persons were struck dead by lightning and 28 were injured in three districts of West Bengal which witnessed widespread pre-monsoon showers on Saturday morning, officials said.
Five persons were killed in Murshidabad district, three in Purulia and two died in Burdwan district.
In Murshidabad, two persons were killed at Maheshpur village, one at Daltonpur village in Hariharpur area, while two others were killed at Rajanagar village in Raghunathganj, official sources said. Three others were also injured in lightning in Raghunathganj.
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A woman and two men were killed as lightning struck them in Jhalda, Baghmundi and Kashipur area of Purulia district while they were working in agricultural fields, District Magistrate Tanmoy Chakraborty said.
In Burdwan two persons, including a woman, were killed and another woman was injured in yet another lightning incident. Two died in similar incidents at Khandaghosh and Kumarpur in Raniganj area, the police said.
In Khandaghosh, a 48-year-old man was killed when he was working in his field, while a 23-year-old woman was killed when lightning struck the shed under which she had taken shelter during rain in Kumarpur.
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Another woman, who was accompanying her for collecting firewood, was seriously injured and admitted to hospital.
24 people were injured in another incidence of lightning at Chandrakona area of West Midnapore district.
They were waiting to join work allotted to them under MNREGA at Tolbostihala village when lightning struck them, police said, adding they were taken to a hospital.
The State recorded 30 mm to 50 mm of heavy rainfal this morning, the weatherman said in Kolkata.
The pre-monsoon showers were due to fast cloud formation. A MeT forecast said there will be thundershowers both in south and north Bengal for the next two to three days.