Beltangady: Lightning claims pregnant woman's life
Daijiworld Media Network – Beltangady (SP)
Beltangady, May 31: A woman who was in the family way, lost her life on the spot after being struck by lightning on the evening of Thursday May 30.
She has been identified as Sameeda (23), wife of Iqbal, a resident of five cents colony in Gerukatte in Kaliya village in the taluk.
Sameeda was reportedly rolling bidis near a window of her house, when lightning, after reflecting from a nearby tree, hit her. Sameeda, who is survived by a two-year-old son and husbabnd, was in the fifth month of her second pregnancy, it is gathered.
Tahsildar, Srinivas, visited the spot. A case was registered in the local police station. Post mortem of the woman was conducted at the government hospital here.
Lightning also inflicted extensive damages to a house owned by Babu Mugera at Shivagiri near Karayaya in the taluk on Thursday evening. Although the walls of the house gave way, the family members were not hurt, as they were away attending a marriage function then. However, a 12-year-old girl from the neighbouring house suffered shocks.
On Thursday, good rain coupled with lightning was received all over the state’s coast. Puttur, Moodbidri, Sullia, Mulky,Udupi , Kundapur, Kasargod, and many other regions got normal to heavy rain. Strong wind caused some damage in villages located at the foot of the Western Ghats.
The meteorological department has predicted possibility of normal to heavy rain with lightning and thunder in Karnataka coast. In some places, it said, the quantum of rain may exceed six cm. Wind velocity during the next two days at sea may touch 45 to 55 km per hour, it warned.