Dehradun: At least 413 sheep and goats were killed after lightning struck in the remote Nijmula valley of Chamoli district on Sunday, causing heavy losses to livestock rearers. Around 1,400 animals were being taken towards Niti valley by a group of 10 herders from Byara village.
The livestock belonged to nearly 30 families from their village and nearby areas, said Dasholi block head Vinita Bedwal and Hema Negi from Nandanagar in Chamoli. The herders had halted for dinner at Gonna around 9.30pm on Sunday before resuming their journey. Soon after, lightning struck, killing hundreds of animals, according to those present.
Officials said intermittent thunderstorms, accompanied by lightning, hail, heavy rain, and strong winds since Saturday night, have affected livestock owners in some other parts of the state too.
“More than 400 sheep and goats died here. One of us, Trilok Singh, injured his leg when the lightning struck. He could not see and fell, injuring his leg. He was taken to a health facility in Gopeshwar,” said Himmat Singh, one of the herders.
Chief veterinary officer of Chamoli, Dr Aseem Deb, confirmed the loss of around 415 animals based on preliminary information.
A joint team of officials from the animal husbandry, revenue, and forest departments reached Banali hamlet near the site of the incident. Till the time of filing this report, the district administration said veterinary teams were conducting postmortem examinations of the dead livestock to ascertain the cause of death and facilitate compensation to the affected rearers.
Chamoli DM Gaurav Kumar assured villagers of all possible support from the administration.
