Garhwa: What began as a routine outing to collect mangoes ended in tragedy for three children in Garhwa district on Saturday evening when lightning struck the mango tree under which they had taken shelter from heavy rain. Two teenagers were killed on the spot, while a 10-year-old boy suffered critical injuries.The deceased were identified as Shahbaz Ansari (17) and Faizun Khatoon (12). Maksud Ansari (10) sustained serious injuries and was admitted to the Ranka Community Health Centre (CHC), where officials said he was battling for life.According to sources, the three had gone to collect mangoes near their home in Dudhwal village under Ranka police station limits when torrential rain, accompanied by lightning, forced them to take shelter under a mango tree. Moments later, lightning struck the tree, killing Shahbaz and Faizun instantly and critically injuring Maksud.The tragedy sparked outrage among residents and the victims’ families, who alleged that the health department failed to provide an ambulance to transport the bodies to Garhwa Sadar Hospital for post-mortem examination.Relatives said they eventually hired a pick-up vehicle to carry the bodies. Villagers alleged that the incident exposed serious gaps in emergency response services in the area and reflected the health department’s apathy.Locals said the delay in arranging transportation compounded the family’s grief after the weather-related tragedy.“No govt aid was provided to us,” relatives of the deceased said.Garhwa civil surgeon J F Kennedy, however, denied the allegations, saying no request for an ambulance had been made. “If they wanted an ambulance, we would have made the necessary arrangements,” he said.Dudhwal panchayat mukhiya Izhar Ansari said the entire village was in mourning following the lightning strike that claimed two young lives.
