At least nine people were killed and eight sustained critical injuries in separate incidents after being struck by lightning in three districts yesterday. Four were killed and one sustained injuries in Deogarh district while two of a family were killed and two other members were injured in Malkangiri district when lightning struck them.
Besides, three persons were killed and five were injured at different places of Nabarangpur district by the lightning. Among the serious burn injuries include a 7-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl from Malkangiri district of the state.
The government has included Lightning as one of the natural calamities and victims are entitled to get an ex gratia compensation under the revised relief code. Close to 1500 people have died due to lightning strikes across Odisha in last five years amounting to an average of around 300 deaths annually. During the last 14 years, between 2001 and 2014, the state has lost more than 3,500 persons in lightning across 30 districts.