Lightning killed at least eight persons, including four women, in Birbhum district on Tuesday evening.

Police sources said three persons each were killed in the Bolpur and Suri subdivisions of the district while two others were fatally struck in Rampurhat sub-division.

Five persons have also been injured by lightning in the district. “The injured were hospitalised and the bodies have been sent for post-mortem,” said a police officer.

Chintamoni Hembram and her sister-in-law Moni were killed in Mohali village of Bolpur in a field. Moriram Mondal had taken his cattle to the field to graze in Borogoga village of Labhpur when lightning killed him. Maya Das of Sainthia was killed and two of her relatives were injured when lightning struck while they were sowing paddy. At Mohammedbazar, Pata Tudu and Dhananjay Ghosh died.

Reboti Konai of Muraroi’s Laxminarayanpur, and Baneswar Let of Mallarpur’s Mohula were also killed and two others were injured by lightning.