Ranchi, May 24: About 11 people died as lightning played havoc in different parts of the state last night.

According to official reports, 11 people died, while another 11 sustained injuries due to lightning that occurred in some districts.

However, not a single case has been reported from the city.

In Silli, one Hafina Khatun of Hutam village was seriously injured when lightning struck her. She was later rushed to a private hospital where doctors declared her brought dead. Jasoda Devi, another woman of the same locality, also met with similar fate last evening. In Barkakana, one Ajay Kumar?s nine-year-old daughter Rakhi Kumari fell prey to lightning, while his wife, Meera Devi, sustained injuries.

In Bharni village of Gumla district, a female labourer died when lightning struck her the same evening. In Dhenukatta village of Godda district, four children also died of the natural calamity.

Although the recent showers in some parts of the state have brought the much-needed respite from the sweltering heat, it has also brought along with it a series of deaths triggered by lightning.

Last year, the death toll due to lightning was more than 30 , said an official.

According to Birsa Agricultural University Met scientists, Jharkhand is more prone to lightning and thunder compared to its neighbouring states. April and May are the months when it occurs more frequently here.

?The intensity is very high here and the lack of conductors in the interior areas of the state is one of the important reasons why the lightning causes devastation here. In cities, the death toll is negligible because there are so many conductors in the form of electricity poles and buildings as well as mobile phone towers,? said A. Wadood of the university.

?Since Jharkhand is a not a plateau region, lightning does not get too much space to dissipate. The Santhal Pargana and the places bordering Bihar are less prone to lightning, while areas adjacent to the Bay of Bengal are more,? said Wadood.