By IANS
Ranchi : Lightning during monsoon rains has claimed 21 lives in Jharkhand, with six school students among the victims, the police said.
Jharkhand received the first monsoon shower Wednesday. The children died and nearly a dozen were injured when lightning struck Greenfield School in Rampura village, 12 km from here.
The children were playing in the school ground when the tragedy struck.
A seventh death was also reported in Ranchi district, followed by six in Hazaribagh, two each in Chatra, Lohardagga and Balumath, and one each in Sahebganj and Godda districts.
The government has announced a compensation of Rs.50,000 to the families of each of the dead students and Rs.10,000 to the injured students.
The rains also disrupted power supply in the state, plunging many districts into darkness.
The rainfall brought down the temperature across the state. Ranchi received a rainfall of around 30 mm.