Rayagada, Sept 12: In a tragic incident reported from near Odisha’s Rayagada city, a lightning strike claimed the lives of three individuals and critically injured two others today afternoon.
The deceased have been identified as Sambari Pidika (45), Emel Miniaka from Lekhapur village, and Giria Minika (32) from Jhumuka village. The critically injured individuals have been identified as Pandey Pidika (Sambari’s elder sister) and Tulsi Pidika from Haripur village.
As per reports, the incident took place in the Haripur forest area, located near Bishnuguda village under the Rayagada block, while the victims were working in a cotton field and lightning struck them.
The strike resulted in the instantaneous death of three individuals, while two others suffered severe injuries.
Upon getting the information, local police arrived at the scene and seized the bodies. Subsequently, it was sent for postmortem. The injured were immediately rushed to the district headquarters hospital in Rayagada for treatment.
A case of accidental death has been registered, and further investigations are ongoing, said the police.
