7 devotees injured in lightning strike at Jyotiba temple fair

Kolhapur: Seven devotees from Arjuni village in Kagal, who had come to Wadi Ratnagiri for the annual Jyotiba temple fair, suffered injuries in a lightning strike on Wednesday between 4.15pm and 4.30pm. They were waiting under a tree at the Dakshin Darwaja of the temple premises when the incident occurred.."The lightning struck a spot about 7feet from where the devotees were standing. They were injured because of the lightning's electromagnetic field. The injured people were taken to the CPR Hospital in Kolhapur for treatment. They are all out of danger now," said district epidemic officer Sushant Revadekar .Meanwhile, rain, hailstorm and gusty winds lashed Kolhapur city on Wednesday breaking tree branches as several spots.Satara district also witnessed thunderstorms with lightning. At Khed Budruk village in Khandala tehsil, a sheep died in a lightning strike. In Man tehsil, six houses were partially damaged due to stormy winds.In the past three days in Satara district, crops over 192 hectares have been damaged due to heavy rainfall. Maximum damage has been reported in Khandala tehsil. In Solapur, gusty winds caused damage to shelters. In Sangola, one cow died due to the collapse of a cattle shed.