Bhubaneswar, June 26: While monsoon in Odisha plays hide & seek with farmers, lightning strikes in the state are on the rise during the month.

In tragic incidents, at least three persons, including two minors, lost their lives in two separate lightning strikes in Odisha on Friday leaving scores of locals injured.

An elderly man died, and his younger brother was critically injured at Tataranga village under R. Udayagiri police limits in the Gajapati district this evening.

The deceased were identified as Jirad Raita of Katama village under Anuguru Panchayat, while the injured is his younger brother, Mojesh Raita.

In another tragic incident in Boudh district, two minor boys were killed after being struck by lightning while playing cricket at Jhankarapada village under the Manamunda police limit.

The deceased have been identified as Biswajit Mirdha of Jhankarapada village and Kiran Kumbhar of Chaunriapadar village.

According to reports, the boys were playing cricket with friends on the village playground when it started raining. They took shelter under a tree while they were struck by lightning moments later.

They were immediately taken to the District Headquarters Hospital in Sonepur, where doctors declared both of them dead.