Meerut, June 17 -- A thunderstorm accompanied by heavy rainfall and multiple lightning strikes has claimed three lives and injured several others across Bareilly district in the past 24 hours. The storm caused widespread damage, uprooting hundreds of trees and power poles, and cutting off electricity in more than 100 villages. In Mirganj tehsil, 56-year-old farmer Mangli was struck by lightning while working in fields and died instantly. In Bhojipura area, 25-year-old Durga Prasad from Jataua village lost his life in a similar incident. His body was found near the boundary wall of an under-construction rice mill. Acting on a report filed by his father, Mohan Lal, local police led by Chowki in-charge Sanjay Kumar visited the scene and sent the body for post-mortem examination. The third fatality was reported from Baheri, where Fardeen Ansari succumbed to a lightning strike during the early morning hours of the storm. In Shergarh, three labourers from Bihar, employed at a brick kiln near Noorabad village, were injured when lightning struck the hut they had taken shelter in. The injured were treated at the local community Health centre and later resumed work. Mirganj experienced extensive storm-related damage. In Hurhuri village, an electric pole collapsed, while in Thiriya Khurd, a lightning strike destroyed two poles supporting a transformer, which caught fire and was reduced to ashes. In Nagaria Kalyanpur, voltage surges damaged electrical appliances in more than half a dozen homes. In Lalitpur and the station locality of Mirganj town, a 250 kVA transformer was struck, resulting in a power outage. The storm's worst impact was reported around Shahi town, where high-speed winds and lightning brought down hundreds of trees. Major roads such as Shahi-Fatehganj West and Shahi-Shergarh were blocked for over five hours. Fallen trees also brought down power lines and damaged electric poles, leaving over 100 villages without electricity. Engineer Ramdev Verma from the electricity department confirmed that emergency repair teams had been dispatched promptly, and efforts were ongoing to restore power to affected areas by Monday morning....