Lucknow: At least 100 kanwariyas have been injured after their camp was hit by lightning on Wednesday night in Khatauli area in Muzaffarnagar district.
The kanwariyas, according to reports, were resting under ashed in an abandoned petrol pump when lightning struck and the shed collapsed. Twelve kanwariyas have been seriously injured and are in critical care unit. Most of the injured kanwariyas belong to Meerut and Ghaziabad.
Soon after the incident, the district officials used machines to remove the debris and evacuate the injured persons.
The seriously injured persons have been identified as Sunny Thakur, Nitin Arya, Yogendra, Rakesh Goswami, Rajendra, Sonu, Ajay Singh, Amit, Sumitpal, Maniram, Sagar and Manoj. The kanwariyas are Shiva devotees who undertake a tough pilgrimage from the first day of the Hindu month of Saawan, walking with pitchers of the holy Ganga water all the way from Hardwar to their home towns and villages where the water is offered at Shiva temples.
