Lightning kills 29 in Odisha

At least 29 people were killed after being struck by lightning in different parts of Odisha on Saturday, police said. While the maximum number of eight deaths were reported from Bhadrak district, there were seven casualties in Balasore district, five in Khurda, three in Mayurbhanj, three in Jajpur and one each in Kendrapara, Keonjhar and Nayagarh, police said.

Expressing sorrow over the deaths, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik directed the special relief commissioner (SRC) to immediately provide assistance to the bereaved families in accordance with the relief code, CM’s office said in a statement.

Of the eight deaths reported from Bhadrak, two women died in separate lightning incidents at Kusananagar and Panibhandar villages under Bhadrak rural area, police said, adding another woman was killed in Balichaturi village. 

The rest five died at Bisalpata, Banta, Tihidi, Bansada and Chandbali areas of Bhadrak district, they said, adding at least three persons were injured in incidents of lightning in the district.

In Balasore district, two persons were killed and another injured at Angula village, while one person was killed in lightning at nearby Jaganathpur village in Soro block, said Priyabrata Parhi, Tahasildar of Soro. The mishap occurred while all of them were engaged in paddy field.

Elsewhere in the district, four persons, including a woman, were killed and at least 14 injured in different areas under Jaleswar block, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Jaleswar, Satya Ranjan Mallick said. Most of them were working in paddy field.