Bhagalpur, Oct. 19: Six persons, including a ward councillor of a panchayat, died and 12 others suffered injuries when lightning struck them in the past 48 hours in Banka and Lakhisarai.

Sources from Banka said Rajkumar (13), son of one Ashok, died at Lalmatiya village yesterday.

Sulekha Devi (32), wife of Sudhir Mahato and the ward councillor of Khawa Chand Tola panchayat under Mufassil police station in Munger, died. Bhakari Mahato (32) and Sulekhi Devi (30), residents of the same village, died when they had gone to Khawa Diara.

In another incident, Bhekari Pandit (70) of Arma village under Surajghara block in Lakhisarai died in a lightning strike. Nathuni Rajak, his wife and son, Rusho Kumari, Mina Devi, Rudal Mahato and six villagers, all from Khawa Chand Tola, suffered serious injuries.

All the injured persons were sent to a private clinic at Medenichowki market. “We were returning from the field when it suddenly started raining heavily and there was a strong lightning,” Budhni Devi, a survivor recalled.

On October 17, one Promod Kumar Mandal of Jagatpur hamlet of Bhalai panchayat under Dhoriya block in Banka was killed in a lightning strike when he was irrigating a field with his wife, Anita Devi. She sustained serious burn injuries and was referred to Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College and Hospital, Bhagalpur.

One Bhekari Pandit (70) of Arma village under Surajghara block in Lakhisarai died.“He suffered a heart attack on hearing a deafening thunder,” said Pabo Devi, the victim’s daughter. Dharma Narayan Singh of Manikpur locality under Surajghara block slipped into a coma because of a lightning strike.