On Thursday, a 16-year-old kid died after being struck by lightning in Mumbai’s Juhu Chowpatty. According to preliminary findings, the teenager had come alone to observe Ganpati immersion on the penultimate day of the Ganesh celebration.
The youngster has been identified as Hasan Yusuf Shaikh, a resident of Vakola in Santacruz, according to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation officials.
“Prima facie, it appears that he had come alone to see the Ganesh idol immersion at the chowpatty,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police Mahesh Mugutrao. He was not accompanied by Ganpati, nor was he accompanied by any pandal. He was standing near the water at the beach when he was struck by lightning and fell into it.”
According to the police, the event occurred at 4.30 p.m. “It was raining heavily, and there were also thunderstorms and lightning at the time,” said an officer.
According to the police, “the boy’s body was retrieved from the Juhu beach by officials of Drishti Lifeguard. He was later declared dead at Andheri’s Cooper Hospital.”
“We have managed to trace his parents and informed them about the incident,” said Mugutrao, adding that the Santacruz police registered a case of accidental death.
“It was initially presumed that the teenager had died of drowning. However, it was later found that he had been struck by lightning. A lifeguard on the beach, standing 300 metres away from Shaikh, had witnessed the incident”, an official stated.
Someone commented on a report saying, “Very sad that a young life was lost due to lightning in a metro city like Mumbai with high-rise buildings having lightning arcs on top of buildings. There should have been lightning arrestors at a very high level in the vicinity of such a crowded metropolis to nullify the impact of lightning on human life or even structure. BMC needs to scan the entire city to protect lives from lightning.”.