Barabanki/Jhansi (UP), March 21 Two people, including a car driver, were killed in incidents related to lightning in the districts of Barabanki and Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh, police said on Saturday.
In the Safdarganj area of Barabanki, a 42-year-old man named Mustaq died after coming into contact with a high-voltage wire that snapped during a thunderstorm on Friday. Mustaq, a resident of Mahmoodabad, was at a shop near Udouli crossing when lightning struck a nearby electricity pole, causing a live wire to fall.
Police said that Mustaq accidentally stepped on the wire while trying to rush out of the shop after the blast. He was taken to the District Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead. Junior Engineer Raj Maurya confirmed that the wire snapped after a direct lightning strike on the pole.
In a separate incident in the Babina area of Jhansi, a 37-year-old car driver identified as Vinay Sahu died after an explosion triggered by lightning at a factory on Friday night.
SP (City) Preeti Singh said that the lightning strike around 9 pm caused an explosion and a fire at the Indo Gulf Industrial Limited factory located on Sukwa Dhukwa road. Sahu, a resident of Shastri Nagar, sustained critical injuries from flying glass shards and debris. He died during treatment late Friday night.
The blast also caused a portion of the factory building to collapse. The SP added that the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization has been informed to investigate the technical aspects of the explosion.