Five persons, including 10-month-old baby boy, injured in lightning near Arani

Heavy rain lashes Vellore, Ranipet, Tiruvannamalai and Tirupattur districts since Monday night

Five persons, including a 10-month-old baby boy, were injured in lightning at Vinnamangalam near Arani in Tiruvannamalai, as heavy rain lashed Vellore, Ranipet, Tiruvannamalai and Tirupattur districts since Monday night.

The police said K. Sankar, 45, and his wife S. Sudamani, 45, were sleeping along with other family members, including the baby boy, when a bolt of lightning struck their house past midnight.

In the impact, a portion of a wall crashed on them. A three-year-old cow, tethered in the backyard, was electrocuted. Neighbours rushed to the house and rescued the family. They alerted the police and the ambulance service. The injured were shifted to the Government Taluk Hospital at Arani.

The Arani police have filed a case.

Heavy rain in the neighbouring Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh, especially the Kaundinya Wildlife Sanctuary, since last week have filled up the reservoir across the Mordhana, a tributary of the Palar. Excess rainwater is being let out. Residents at Mordhana, Kottaramuduvu, Jittapalli, Seivur, Gudiyatham, Indira Nagar, Oolakasi, Sittathur and Hyderpuram in the Gudiyatham taluk along the river were put on alert.

Key towns in Tirupattur district such as Ambur (15.60 mm), Vaniyambadi (7 mm), Alangayam (38 mm) and Natrampalli (26 mm) received good rain since Monday night. The district received 151.70 mm. Tirupattur town recorded 15.70 mm as of 6 a.m Tuesday.