A TOTAL of 26 women died when two boats capsized in western India when the passengers panicked after seeing a bolt of lightning, police said.
Rescuers saved four passengers and two crew from the Wainganga River after the accident, said police super- intendent Suresh Sagar. Eight other women are still missing and searches are continuing in a bid to find them.
After seeing a massive bolt of lightning, the women - poor farm labourers on their way home from work - panicked and the ensuing chaos upset the boats.
The vessels overturned in the Bhandara district of Maharashtra state, about 575 miles north-east of the state capital of Mumbai.
It is not clear why all of the passengers were women but in many parts of the country women make up most of the farm workers.
Boat accidents are common in India, where many vessels are unsafe and overloaded.
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