Udhampur man killed in lightning strike; son critical

Jammu, Nov 10: A 45-year-old man died on the spot after being struck by lightning while his son sustained critical burn injuries in the incident in Udhampur district, amid heavy rains that lashed majority of plain areas across Jammu region on Friday.

Officials said that the lightning struck when the father-son duo was on their way to their shop amid rain. “While Shallo Ram, a resident of Patti Pangara of Udhampur, died on the spot, his son Rinku Kumar, 28, sustained serious burn injuries. He was immediately rushed to the Government Medical College (GMC) Udhampur by the police with the help of locals,” officials said.

Rinku’s condition was stated to be critical. “The body of Shallo Ram was kept in the mortuary of GMC Udhampur for post-mortem. Police have taken cognizance of the matter,” officials added.

Meanwhile, overnight heavy rains that lashed plains of Jammu region, which brought down temperature and triggered cold conditions, badly affected life in many low-lying areas of Jammu and adjoining areas due to water-logging. Several low-lying areas were inundated in Jammu city and adjoining areas. The residents of narrow congested lanes along overflowing nullahs had to face harrowing experiences in Satwari, Nai Basti, Nanak Nagar areas. Ditto was the scenario in a few areas of Talab Tillo. The JDA parking lot was completely inundated.

Shopkeepers, who were allotted space for erecting 60 stalls of firecrackers in the area behind Fortune Riviera, ahead of Diwali festival, were a distraught lot due to water-logging.

“You can see, our stalls are inundated. Where should we go? Around one to 2 feet water is there. This space was allotted by the government. We have just one day left for sale. If it rains tonight also, we’ll be ruined as our investment of Rs 5-10 lakhs is at stake. We want that either the authorities should shift us to some other place or immediately dewater the area,” aggrieved shopkeepers shared with the media.