Shocking! Lightning-strike kills 19 in AP

GUNTUR: In a freak instance of multiple lightning-strikes, 19 people were killed in five Andhra Pradesh districts on Sunday, even as women cricket teams of Andhra Pradesh and Tripura had a narrow squeak in Guntur where a fire-bolt struck a tree next to the ground they were having a practice match. This is the first time in the state's recent history that so many people have been killed by lightning on a single day. Nellore district bore the brunt of nature's fury with six deaths, followed by Prakasam and Krishna with four each. Three deaths were reported from Guntur and two from East Godavari as the southwest monsoon, which had been playing truant so far, turned vigorous on Sunday because of low pressure, bringing heavy rains. The downpour was accompanied by lightning and caught people working in the farms unawares.   TOI