A tree fallen on a shop outside the district correctional home in Malda on Tuesday. Picture by Surajit Roy

Malda, May 25: Six persons died after they were struck by lightning and 13 people, including 11 children, suffered burn injuries in Malda district this morning, four days after eight persons had been killed in a similar manner.

The sky was overcast with black cloud since 10am and within a few minutes, it started raining heavily accompanied by frequent lightning.

According to official sources, Asha Mondal, 14, a Class IX student of Sukia High School in Kaliachak, died while collecting mangoes in an orchard.

Shantalal Mondal, 42, was killed when he was cutting grass in a field at Ramayanpur in Ratua block and 64-year-old Ghatu Mondal was struck by lightning while working in his agricultural land at Rasildal in Old Malda. He died on the spot.

Three others — Dipak Mondal, 29, Kulia Mondal, 60, and Lakshman Mondal, 48, — also lost their lives on their agricultural land in a Baisnavnagar village.

According to additional district superintendent of police Kalyan Mukherjee, the incidents took place between 10am and 10.30am. The bodies have been sent to the district hospital for post-mortem.

Eleven students of the Badnagara primary school at Gajole, 43km from here, suffered burn injuries when lightning struck their school premises, Mukherjee said.

The students were taken to the Gajole rural health centre. Six students were released after first aid, while the condition of five others, who have been admitted to the hospital, is stated to be critical.

Headmistress of the school Projapati Rajbanshi said the preparations for mid-day means were being made when the children were shocked by nerve-wracking sounds of the thunderbolt.

“Immediately, lightning struck the premises and 11 students suffered burn injuries. They were rushed to the local hospital,” she said.

At Jagannathpur in Harishchandrapur block, Samsul Haque, 32, and Tariqul Islam, 35, suffered burn injuries after being struck by lightning. They were returning home on a bullock cart laden with paddy. Both the bullocks died on the spot, while Haque and Islam have been admitted to Masaldahbazar block health centre.

In Malda town, people had to wade through knee and waist-deep water in low areas because of rain that continued for half-an-hour, causing much embarrassment to the councillors of the respective areas.

The councillors were seen busy managing the situation in their areas ahead of the May 30 municipal polls. The sharp shower has highlighted the appaling condition of the drainage system in the Englishbazar civic area.

District secretary of the CPM Jiban Moitra alleged that the Congress, Trinamul Congress and the BJP-run Englishbazar Municipality had failed to provide the minimum civic facilities to the residents.

He alleged that the board has been functioning for the past 15 years. But the town turns into a lagoon with a shower or two. The drainage system had virtually collapsed in this town, he said.

“People have to wade through muddy water after a shower even at places where the office of the district magistrate and district judge are situated. They (the ruling councillors) should be ashamed of their performance for so many years,” Moitra said.

The chairman of the municipality, Narendranath Tiwari of the Congress, blamed the CPM for the present situation.

“The CPM had constantly blocked the implementation of the Lakshmipur drainage scheme. The North Bengal Development Council had sanctioned Rs 1 crore. But we could not make use of the money because of their resistance,” Tiwari said.