Farmer killed in lightning strike

A 26-year-old farmer died after being struck by lightning in a village here on Sunday, police said.

Netra Pal, a resident of Makrand Gadhi village that falls under Naujhil police station, was working in the fields when he was caught in a thunderstorm, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Ram Dutta Ram said.

He is survived by his parents, wife, two sons and two daughters, officials said, adding his body has been sent for postmortem.

The deceased's family would get an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh under the crop insurance scheme.

According to officials, he continued working even while caught in the storm that produced heavy downpours.