Lightning strikes have claimed the lives of three shepherds and a farmer in separate incidents across districts in Telangana and Andrapradesh. In Penchikalapadu village of Pebberu Mandal in Vanaparthi district, Balayya and his wife Lakshmi (both aged 50) were grazing their sheep near the banks of the Krishna River when heavy rains forced them to take shelter under a nearby tree. Unfortunately, Lakshmi was struck by lightning and died on the spot, while Balayya and their distant son Sandeep survived. In Aragidda village of Gattu Mandal under Gadwala district, farmer Jayanna (aged 40) was killed by lightning while covering the tobacco stalks in his field to protect them from the rain.
In a similar incident in Bijinepalli Mandal of Nagar Kurnool district, a 22-year-old youth named Balakrishna lost his life to lightning. Meanwhile, in AP Macharla Mandal Dalam Chintalathanda, 17-year-old Ramawat Saida took his sheep to graze near Nagarjuna Sagar when a thunderstorm struck, killing both Saida and 40 of his sheep.
The state authorities are urging people to take necessary precautions during thunderstorms and heavy rainfall to avoid such tragic incidents. On Friday, Minister Niranjan Reddy and Rythubandhu Samiti State President Pallarajeshwar Reddy will visit the areas that have been affected by the heavy rains and crops damaged as a result.
