Dhar (Madhya Pradesh): Three children lost their lives, and one was critically injured when lightning struck a neem tree under which they had taken shelter from the rain, in Dhar on Tuesday afternoon.
Kotwali police station in-charge Sameer Patidar said the incident took place at around 4.30 pm. The victims, Pankaj (15), Ganesh (10), and Vijay (10), along with Shubham (10), had been playing in an open field on Phadke Marg, in front of the CMHO office. The area is a popular playground for local children.
As the rain intensified, the children took refuge under a neem tree. Unfortunattely, lightning struck the tree, sending the children sprawling on the ground. The intensity of the strike was so great that the bark of the tree peeled off.
Passersby rushed the children to the hospital. Unfortunately, Pankaj, Ganesh, and Vijay were pronounced dead upon arrival. Shubham, who was gravely injured, was admitted to the ICU.
In his statement, Shubham recounted, "We were playing when it started raining. We stood under the neem tree, and suddenly, something happened, and we all fell down. When I woke up, I was in the hospital."
Corporator Laxman Patel, who was among the first to arrive at the scene, said, "It is a tragic incident, we tried our best to save them by rushing them to hospital, but it was too late for three of them.”
The community is in mourning, grappling with the sudden and tragic loss of young lives.
