Rain-Related Incidents Claim 14 Lives in Marathwada; 11 Due to Lightning Strikes

Rain-related incidents have claimed the lives of 14 persons in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra since June 1, with 11 of these deaths caused by lightning strikes, officials said on Wednesday.

The latest four deaths occurred in Parbhani and Hingoli districts in the last two days, a primary survey report prepared by the divisional commissioner office said.

"Rain-related incidents have claimed the lives of 14 persons since June 1 in seven (out of the total eight) districts of Marathwada. Of these, four fatalities occurred in the past two days alone," it said.

Two of these latest four victims are a 14-year-old boy and a 40-year-old woman, it added.

Eleven of these deaths occurred due to lightning strikes. Two of the victims died after being swept away by flood waters, while one person died after a cowshed collapsed. Of the total eight districts in Marathwada, seven districts reported these fatalities, while Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar did not report any.

The highest number of four deaths occurred in Latur district, while Parbhani and Nanded reported three deaths each. Four other districts - Jalna, Hingoli, Beed and Dharashiv - saw one fatality each, according to the survey report.

Apart from human lives, 251 animals also lost their lives due to natural calamities in all eight districts of Marathwada since June 1. Of these, 99 animals died in the past two days, it added.