Three women killed by lightning while taking shelter under tree

Madurai: Three women belonging to the same family were killed after being struck by lightning while picking cotton at farmland near Usilampatti in Madurai district on Tuesday evening. The workers were killed after the tree under which they had taken shelter, was struck by lighting.Police said that the incident occurred near Kunnuvarpatti village, where a garden owned by Vaasiyammal, 55, of Soolapuram, near Usimalpatti, is located. More than 15 farm labourers, including Ramuthai, 60, Dhanushkodi, 58, Ganapathy, 62 of Soolapuram, and a few others from the same village, were engaged in cotton-picking work at the field during the day.As a sudden downpour lashed the area in the evening, the workers took shelter under a nearby tamarind tree. However, lightning struck the tree, killing Ramuthai, Dhanushkodi, and Ganapathy on the spot.Another person Vaasiyammal sustained injuries in the incident and her legs were paralysed. She was rushed to the Usilampatti govt hospital, from where she was referred to Govt Rajaji Hospital at Madurai, where she is currently undergoing intensive treatment.Police personnel from the M Kallupatti police station rushed to the spot. The bodies of the deceased were recovered and sent to the Usilampatti government hospital for autopsy.Police have registered a case, and further investigation is underway.