Two more victims died Sunday afternoon in the hospital, adding the death toll from a lightning strike tragedy to 17, doctors said.

The lightning strike happened Saturday afternoon in Duqian Village of Duqiao Town, Linhai City in east China's Zhejiang Province. It killed 11 villagers instantly and left four dead in the No. 2 People's Hospital of Linhai City, according to doctors.

The new deaths, Zhu Yuefu, a male aged 47 and Chen Suhua, a female aged 53, were previously in critical condition and relied on respiratory machines for the past 24 hours, doctors said.

Of the total deaths, two were women. The remaining 13 victims are doing well and receiving further treatment.

The local government has formed an emergency team consisting of some 150 officials to console families of the dead and arrange for relief work for those poor families.

During the thunderstorm Saturday afternoon, more than 30 local villagers gathered in a makeshift shelter built under five big trees, the tallest thing nearby. Later the lightning stroke the shelter and people within, causing mass deaths, police said.

Experts have warned the local people to take proper measures to avoid such accidents in this thunderstorm season. Zhejiang is one of the provinces plagued by frequent thunder and lightning activities, and people should be careful in the thunderstorm season, avoiding staying outdoors or under tall trees, according to experts.