Vijayawada/Hyderabad: Nineteen people died after they were struck by lightning in separate incidents in five districts of Andhra Pradesh which was lashed by heavy rains on Sunday.

The incidents occurred in Krishna, Guntur, East Godavari, Prakasam and Nellore districts. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has announced ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh to each of the victim killed in lightning while interacting with district collectors through a tele-conference in Vijaywada.

Six persons were killed in Prakasam district, five in Nellore district, four in Krishna district, and two each in Guntur and East Godavari districts. In Prakasam district, six persons, including three women, were killed while four others were injured when they were struck by lightning in separate incidents.

Out of the six victims, two women died when the bolt struck them when they were working in a cotton field while rest of the victims included two farmers from Channareddypalli and Muppalla villages, and a 27-year-old man from Chavatapalem, said District Revenue Officer Noor Basha Kashim.

Another victim, a borewell operator, died in Vemulkota village, added Markapur sub-inspector of police A. Venkateswarlu. In Nellore district, five people died after they were struck by lightning, SP Gajarao Bhupal stated.

His deputy Tirumaleshwar Reddy said the deceased included a father-son duo who were struck by bolt in Venkatachalam mandal under Nellore rural sub-division.

In Krishna district, four agricultural labourers, including a woman, were killed when lightning struck them while they were working in open field, said District Revenue Officer (DRO) Saibaba.

They are identified as Siva (24), Sarojini (35), Giri (55) and Gunju Jangalu (38). In Guntur district, two persons died after they were struck by the bolt while working in agricultural field.

They are identified as Bandaru Ananda Rao (54) and Rambabu (46). In Guntur, women cricketers of Andhra Pradesh and Tripura had a miraculous escape when lightning struck ACA stadium in afternoon where they were playing a match.

The cricketers rushed out from the ground and took shelter in the ACA Academy building. A tree outside the building caught fire after it was hit by bolt.

In East Godavari district, B Surayakantham (60) of Dwarapudi village and Adapa Subbarao (70) of Mandapeta were killed when lightning struck them while they were returning from their work in evening, said Circle Inspector of police, Ramachandrapuram, G. Pulla Rao

Meanwhile, heavy rains caused water-logging in many areas of Hyderabad. The Meteorological department had predicted heavy downpours in many parts of the state in the next 24 hours.

Naidu also asked collectors of various districts to be prepared to tackle any eventuality due to heavy rains and other natural calamities, particularly within next 24 hours.

Source:PTI