Couple among three killed in lightning strike in Odisha’s Keonjhar

Keonjhar: Lightning strike claimed lives of three persons, including a couple, in Odisha’s Keonjhar district today.

The husband-wife duo was working at a farmland at Badasialimal village under Harichandanpur block in the district, when lightning struck killing the two on the spot.

Another lightning strike incident took place at Thakurpada village in the district, in which a person died and another sustained critical injuries. The victim has been admitted to the District Headquarters Hospital.

Worth mentioning, the Odisha Government had recently said that the number of deaths due to lightning strikes in Odisha has been reduced by more than 31 percent due to effective use of early warning communication system to alert the people.

As many as 401 deaths were reported during the year 2015-16 and 401 during 2016-17. The number went up to 465 during the year 2017-18. However, the figure has come down to 320 during the year 2018-19 registering a decrease of more than 31 percent, the office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) had said.