Nine people including a minor boy who had gone out to watch a cricket match were killed after being struck by lightning in different places of Odisha on Monday.
Narasingha Majhi of Sunadangari village in Nabarangour district had gone to Miriguda village to watch a cricket match. When he was returning home at around 3 pm, heavy rain accompanied with lightning began. The boy collapsed on the ground after being hit by lightning. When he was rushed to the Papadahandi Community Health Centre, doctors declared him dead.
In Dhenkanal, two women were killed by lightning while they were sitting on the balcony.
Apart from these incidents, six other people lost their lives due to lightning in the state. The six victims include three from Keonjhar, a farmer from Jagatsinghpur, and others from Kendrapada and Cuttack districts.