Sundargarh: Two players were killed and 25 others were injured in a lightning strike during a football match at Baneilata under Nuagaon block of Sundargarh district in Odisha today.
The deceased have been identified as Michael Surin (16) and Ajay Lakhua (23).
The injured were initially rushed to a Primary Health Centre (PHC) at Hatibari and later they were shifted to Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH), sources said.
On being informed, Hatibari police seized the bodies and sent them for postmortem.
According to sources, the incident occurred during a friendly football match between the teams of Baneilata and Bartagutu on the occasion of Laxmi Puja in the afternoon.
“At least 25 people, including players and spectators, were injured in the lightning strike. The villagers rescued the injured and rushed them to the nearby PHC. Later, at least 20 injured persons were shifted to the RGH after their condition deteriorated,” said a police officer.