Kendrapara, Aug 12: In a tragic incident, a lightning strike hit a classroom at Kudanagari High School in the Garadpur block of Kendrapara district on Saturday, resulting in injuries to as many as 16 students.
Among the affected students, Amrita Panda and Adyasha Laxmi Samal sustained severe injuries. Both have been transferred from the Patakura Community Health Centre (CHC) to the Kendrapara district headquarters hospital (DHH) to receive more advanced medical care.
The injured individuals have been identified as students from Class VI at Kudanagari Adarsha Vidyalaya, a temporary setup within the high school. Of the 16 injured students, 14 are boys and 2 are girls.
According to a reliable source, the incident occurred during the final class period. The students were inside their classroom when they observed a brilliant flash of light accompanied by a deafening sound. This sudden event led some students to lose consciousness immediately, while others experienced symptoms such as dizziness and nausea. The lightning strike apparently triggered a short circuit within the classroom.
In response to the situation, both school staff and local villagers promptly came to the aid of the injured students. They were initially taken to the Patakura Community Health Centre for treatment, and subsequently, due to the severity of the injuries sustained by Amrita and Adyasha, they were transferred to the Kendrapara district headquarters hospital.
