LUCKNOW, April 6 -- Three people, including a seven-year-old girl, were killed and more than a dozen houses gutted after a lightning strike triggered a devastating fire in Chhalakapur village under Sadarpur police station limits in Sitapur district, officials said on Sunday.

The child had come to visit her aunt's house along with her grandmother when the tragedy struck. While her grandmother Idura, 60, and aunt Phoolmati, 45, died on the spot, 7-year-old Mahi alias Meenakshi was initially rushed to a local hospital. She was referred to a Lucknow facility, where she succumbed on Sunday morning.

According to local residents, lightning struck the village late Saturday night, sparking a fire that spread rapidly through multiple houses. Fann...