Two CRPF personnel killed in lightning strike at training centre in Chhattisgarh

Dantewada: Two personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed in a lightning strike at an anti-Naxalite training centre of the paramilitary force in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Friday, police said.

The incident occurred around 3 pm when a training session was underway at the facility in the Barsoor police station area of the district, an official said.

Constables Mahendra Kumar and S Sahuat Alam, belonging to the CRPF's 111th battalion, were struck by lightning and severely injured, he said.

The duo were shifted to Dantewada hospital in an ambulance, and after examination, doctors declared them dead, the official said.

Kumar hailed from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, while Alam was from Sahibganj in Jharkhand, he said, adding that their families were informed about the tragedy.

A CRPF jawan died in a similar incident of lightning strike in neighbouring Bijapur district during an anti-Naxal operation on Thursday, police said.

The CRPF is extensively deployed in south Bastar, comprising Dantewada, Sukma and Bijapur districts for anti-Naxal operations.