Bokaro, Sept. 19: Three persons, including a Class VIII student, died on the spot and four others sustained serious injuries when lightning struck a school building today at 1.30pm at Petarwar, about 35km from Bokaro.

Sources said students of Abhiyan Middle School at Ordawan panchayat under Petarwar block were attending classes when thunderclouds gathered. It started raining in a jiffy.

While most children and labourers working in the under-construction school building scampered indoors, lightning struck the school building. Sources later said the sound of the thunderbolt could be heard even from Bokaro.

Those died immediately included Mithun Bedia (14), a student who was walking down the corridor, cook Bimla Devi (27), who was outside the school building, and mason Jaleshwar Mahto (45), who was on the terrace.

Villagers rushed to the school after they heard the cries of children and rushed the four injured — Tulsi Bedia, Munshi Bedia, Nirmal and Suraj — to Petrawar hospital. Their condition is said to be serious. Senior doctors have been rushed to provide medical attention, said sources.

The district administration has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 each for the kin of the deceased.

Bokaro civil surgeon Mithilesh Kumar said he has asked his team of doctors posted at Petarwar to give the best possible medical attention to the injured. He added that he would be talking to senior officers about providing emergency services at times of natural calamities like these.

A Class V student Bijay Kumar, who was present at the school, gave vent to his frustration.

“Although it was cloudy since morning, we could not have believed that it would cost the life of our dear ones. Today lightning claimed the lives of the cook and even the mason but this is not the first time. Lightning has been striking at Petarwar block time and again,” he said.

This is the fourth incident of death due to lightning at Petarwar this year. More than nine persons have already lost their lives in this block this year due to lightning and several others sustained injuries but the district administration is yet to find ways of avoiding such incidents and providing emergency services to the injured.