Patna, June 16 : Six people lost their lives and eight others sustained serious injuries due to lightning strikes in Bihar's Bagaha (West Champaran) and Buxar districts on Monday.

The incidents have cast a shadow of grief over the affected villages, with families mourning the unexpected loss of their loved ones.

The first tragedy occurred in Meghwal Mathiya village of Ramnagar block in Bagaha, where Shahabuddin Ansari and Afsar Ansari died on the spot after being struck by lightning during a sudden thunderstorm.

The victims were taking shelter under trees in a garden when the lightning struck.

Three others ' Shamim Ansari, Azim Mian, and Dheeraj ' sustained serious burn injuries and were rushed to the hospital for treatment.

The incident left the entire village in shock, with heartbroken families inconsolable and a pall of mourning hanging over the area.

The second incident unfolded in Buxar, where four people lost their lives and five were seriously injured due to separate lightning strikes in Chausa and Rajpur police station areas.

In Chausa, lightning struck a group of villagers who were sitting on the banks of the Ganga River.

Mithlesh Ram, 22, Shri Bhagwan alias Jhola Singh, 60, and Virendra Gond, 45, were among the deceased.

A head of cattle also died in the strike.

The injured in Chausa include Neeraj Kumar, 16, Amit Chaudhary, 30, and Sonu Kumar, 18.

They are currently undergoing treatment at Buxar Sadar Hospital.

Chausa police station in-charge Shambhu Bhagat said that three deaths and three injuries occurred under his jurisdiction alone.

He added that all the injured are being treated at local healthcare centres.

In Rajpur, Ankush Kumar, 11, lost his life, while another person, Anant Ram, was critically injured.

The sudden and tragic incidents have led to widespread grief and panic across affected villages.

Villagers have demanded that the state government provide immediate compensation to the families of the deceased and proper medical support to the injured.

/IANS