Bhubaneswar: As many as 20 students were injured, including two critically, when lightning struck a place near an Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya (OAV) in Kendrapara district today.

The students of OAV at Garadpur in Kendrapara were in their classrooms when lightning struck a nearby place in the afternoon, sources said.

“At least 20 students were injured when lightning struck a place near the temporary campus of Garadpur OAV. The injured students were admitted to a local hospital. Two of the injured students were later shifted to Kendrapara District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) after their condition deteriorated,” said a local.

The electric wires and a few ceiling fans were damaged during the incident as the school building did not have a lightning arrester, he added.