A man died in remote village in Thar Parkar after being struck by lightning during moderate to heavy rain accompanied by thunderous showers that swept the desert areas. Locals said the lightning occurred in Pasol village whereby a katcha hut was struck during the downpour, killing 32-year-old Taro Kohli who was sleeping back at home.
Livestock were hugely lost in different cases as well. In villages Mithrio Halepota, Rojh and Dhanbhario about 21 goats and two cows were killed because the bolts of lightning struck animals grazing close to homes. Some villagers told of the attacks being sudden over periods of rain.
Livestock department officials said at least 193 cattle have been struck dead in lightning related cases reported since June 14 in Thar Parkar. They further said that, the losses are making life difficult to families which live in the area since they rely a lot on their animals.
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The provincial health department has in the meantime advised residents to remain indoors, and preferably out of open spaces when it rains and there is thunder in a move to reduce risks.
The fatal lightning strike in Thar parkar demonstrates the increasingly high cost in lives of human beings as well as animals due to unstable weather patterns present in the desert belt.
