Lightning Strikes Kill 3, Injure 4 in Odisha; SRC Issues Advisory

Bhubaneswar: At least three people lost their lives and four others were critically injured in two separate lightning incidents in Odisha on Sunday.

In the first incident, two farmers were killed in the Pattamundai area of Kendrapada district. The victims were identified as Bijay Mallick of Basudevpur village and Raj Kishore Pradhan of Garagaon village. Both were struck by lightning while working in their fields and were declared dead at Pattamundai hospital.

In a separate incident in Balasore district, five members of a family from Wada village, under Soro block, were struck by lightning while working in a field. One family member died during treatment, while the other four sustained critical injuries.

These tragic events follow the deaths of nine people, including a minor, in lightning strikes across Odisha the previous day. The affected districts included Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, and Ganjam. The state government has announced Rs 4 lakh ex gratia for the families of the deceased.

Odisha is highly prone to lightning strikes during the pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons. In response to the recent fatalities, the Special Relief Commissioner’s (SRC) office issued an advisory urging people to adopt safety measures during lightning incidents. Key recommendations include finding shelter immediately, avoiding elevated areas, and staying away from objects that conduct electricity.