Nine killed in lightning strikes in Odisha; several injured

At least nine people lost their lives and several others sustained injuries in separate incidents of lightning strikes across Odisha on Wednesday. The tragic incidents were reported from Angul, Dhenkanal, Puri, Keonjhar, Cuttack, Ganjam, and Nayagarh districts.

In Angul, a man identified as Pankaj Nayak from Raijharan village under Nisha Industrial Area Police limits died after being struck by lightning while working in his field. He fell unconscious on the spot and was later declared dead.

In another incident in Angul, Hari Sahu of Nathada village under Sadar Police limits was struck by lightning while working in his field near his home. Two quarry workers died and two others sustained critical injuries after lightning struck at Mahulpada in Dhenkanal Sadar. The victims were working in a stone quarry when the tragedy occurred.

In Puri district’s Kanalpada village under Delang, a youth lost his life while he was working in a field. Keonjhar also reported a fatality from Haldia Pada under Harichandanpur Block, where one person died and another was injured.

In Cuttack, a woman from Kanjia village under Choudwar Brahmapur Panchayat was killed in a lightning strike. Similarly, in Ganjam’s Khariguda village of Bhanjanagar, Basanta Gouda died while grazing cattle during the thunderstorm.

In Nayagarh, one person died and another sustained critical injuries in Sikharpur village under Sarankul Police limits.

The Met Department has already issued warnings of thunderstorm activity in several parts of the state and advised people to take necessary precautions.