Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar/Nashik/Kolhapur/Pune: At least four people, including a woman and a minor boy, were killed and two others injured in rain-related incidents on Monday as unseasonal rainfall and hailstorms battered parts of Maharashtra, causing widespread damage to crops and livestock.Two youths were killed after being struck by lightning in Jalna district on Monday evening. Ambad tehsildar Vijay Chavan identified the deceased as Govind Pralhad Lahane (21) and Aditya Dagadu Bedre (20). “They were caught unprepared by a sudden downpour and took shelter under a tree along with a friend when lightning struck. Two died on the spot, while the third sustained serious injuries and was rushed to hospital,” Chavan said.In Nashik district, 14-year-old Yash Pravin Shinde died after a wall collapsed during heavy rainfall at Vanpat village in Malegaon taluka. A district official said lightning struck a cattle shed adjoining the boy’s house, causing a wall to give way while he was standing nearby, crushing him to death.In Satara district, Sonali Ajit Karade was killed after being struck by lightning while tending to sheep on Monday afternoon. In a similar incident in the same district, shepherd Nandkumar Pandurang Pisal from Asle village in Wai tehsil was injured and shifted to a private hospital for treatment.According to an initial assessment released by the state agriculture department on Tuesday, unseasonal rainfall in March damaged rabi crops and fruits over 64,573 hectares across 28 districts, with Ahilyanagar and Jalgaon among the worst affected.“Agriculture in the state is facing a double blow. During the last kharif season, heavy flooding damaged crops over more than 65 lakh hectares, and now unseasonal rainfall has resulted in losses to rabi crops as well,” a senior agriculture department official told TOI.The state experienced an initial bout of unseasonal rainfall early in March, with crop damage reported over around 1,500 hectares by March 19. Rain activity intensified over the following days, leading to a sharp escalation in losses. Within less than two weeks, the affected area increased more than forty-fold to 64,573 hectares.Among the worst-hit districts, Ahilyanagar reported crop damage over 12,754 hectares, followed by Jalgaon with 11,231 hectares. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nashik, Dhule and Buldhana districts each reported losses exceeding 5,000 hectares during the month. “The process of panchnama is currently underway,” the official said.Officials said the extreme weather has also taken a heavy toll on livestock, with at least 44 animals killed during the extreme weather conditions.Minister Bhuse assures affected farmers of reliefSchool education minister Dada Bhuse on Tuesday visited several affected farms and expressed solidarity with farmers, assuring them that govt would take steps to safeguard their interests.The minister toured Dhavaleshwar and Pandharun areas in Malegaon taluka, as well as Arai, Bhakshi and Chaugaon Road areas of Baglan taluka. MLA Dilip Borse was also present.
