At least nine people, including six women, lost their lives and several others were injured in separate lightning strike incidents during thunderstorms across Odisha, officials said.
Officials stated that three people died in Koraput district, two each in Jajpur and Ganjam districts, and one each in Dhenkanal and Gajapati districts on Friday.
In a lightning strike at Paridiguda village, located in the Laxmipur police station area of Koraput district, three women died, and an elderly man was critically injured.
Sources said the victims, who were from the same family, had taken shelter in a makeshift hut while working in the fields amid heavy rain and strong winds. A lightning strike hit the hut, killing three women on the spot, a police officer said.
The deceased have been named as Brudhi Mandinga (60), her granddaughter Kasa Mandinga (18), and Ambika Kashi (35) from Kumbharguda village. Brudhi and Kasa Mandinga were residents of Paridiguda, authorities confirmed.
A lightning strike during the rainfall caused their immediate deaths. Their bodies were moved to a hospital for autopsy by the police.
A 65-year-old man, identified as Hingu Mandinga, sustained critical injuries and was immediately taken to Lakshmipur Community Health Centre, where he is currently being treated, the officer stated.
In relation to the incident, a case of unnatural death has been filed, and the investigation is ongoing, the officer stated.
Officials at the District Emergency Office stated that financial aid will be provided to the families of the deceased in accordance with current government guidelines.
Two boys were killed by a lightning strike in Jajpur district as a nor’wester storm lashed the Dharmasala area. The victims, identified as Tare Hembrum (15) and Tukulu Chattar (12), were from Burusahi village in the Jenapur police station area, the officer said.
Villagers stated that the two boys were standing on the verandah of a kuccha house when thunderstorms hit the area in the evening.
They died immediately after being struck by lightning during the rainfall. The police have transported the bodies to the hospital for autopsy.
In relation to the incident, a case of unnatural death has been filed, and the investigation is ongoing, the officer stated.
Om Prakash Pradhan, a Class 7 student in Ganjam district, was killed when lightning struck him in Barida village, located in the Kabisuryanagar tehsil.
A 23-year-old woman lost her life after being struck by lightning while collecting mangoes in an orchard in the Belaguntha area.
In Dhenkanal, 40-year-old Surushi Bishwal was killed in a similar incident in Kusumundia village under Dashipur panchayat.
A woman died after a lightning strike hit her while she was unloading bricks from a tractor-trailer in Gajapati’s Mohana area.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had earlier issued a ‘red warning’ for several districts, including Koraput, Cuttack, Khurda, Nayagarh, Jajpur, Balasore, and Ganjam, forecasting thunderstorms and lightning accompanied by hail and gusty winds reaching 60 to 70 kmph.
In its latest update, the IMD warned of thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty surface winds from May 18 (Day 1) to May 21 (Day 4) across the marked districts.
