Thiruvananthapuram: Two men were killed by lightning strikes in separate incidents in the State on Friday.
The deceased were identified as Jyothish (30), of Kattikayam in Kottayam, and Joy (50), of Mangattidam in Kannur.
Jyothish was at the Kattadikadavu Tourist Centre in Idukki when he was struck by lightning. He was accompanied by his brother Amal, and friends Bonny Joseph and Benny Joseph. They have been placed under observation at a private hospital in Muthalakkodam and have no serious injuries.
Joy was working as a welder near Kuthuparamba in Kannur.
10 women hit by lightning in Pothencode, no serious injuries
Ten women were struck by lightning in separate incidents at Manalakam in Pothencode here on Friday. Nine of them are part of the NREGA scheme. They were admitted to the Thonnakkal Primary Healthcare Centre.
A woman who was hit by lightning at her residence was rushed to SUT Hospital. None of them have serious injuries.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a yellow alert for the southern and central districts of the State on Friday, namely Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Idukki and Ernakulam.
Heavy rain wreaks havoc in northern Kerala
Thrissur, Kozhikode and Malappuram witnessed heavy rain and strong winds, up to speeds of 40km/h, wreaking havoc on Friday. While trees were uprooted by high-speed winds in Malappuram, Ollur in Thrissur saw trees falling on vehicles parked by the road. However, no casualties were reported. Parts of Malappuram experienced power outages due to the weather. Crop lossess were reported in Ponnani in Malappuram, and Mala and Chalakkudy in Thrissur.
Thunderstorm warning issued till April 12
The IMD has predicted thunderstorms in the State till April 12. The State Disaster Management Authority has directed the public to exercise caution, especially between 2pm and 10pm, when the possibility of lightning strikes is high.
The yellow alert for the southern and central districts will continue on Saturday as well.
IMD cited a cyclone that has formed off the coast of Sri Lanka as the cause of rough weather in the State.
