8 dead in lightning incident in central India

NEW DELHI, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- At least eight people, including six school children, died and one was injured when lightning struck them amid rains in India's central state of Chhattisgarh on Monday, confirmed a local police official.

The incident took place in the afternoon when children were returning from school in Joratarai village of the state's Rajnandgaon district, added the cop.

Chhattisgarh is one of the states in India that is particularly susceptible to lightning-related fatalities. Earlier this month, seven men had died and three were injured in a similar incident in the state's Balodabazar-Bhatapara district.