Khurda: At least five students along with their tuition teacher were injured after lightning struck them in Nirakarpur area of Khurda district today.
The injured five students have been identified as Barsa Rani Baliarsingh, Barsha Barik, Prabhu Pritam Behera, Balaram Behera and Ratnakar Bhoi while the tutor was identified as Jagannath Mangaraj.
According to reports, a thunderbolt struck a tree near the coaching centre at Nirakarpur College Road while Mangaraj was taking tuition of the students. However, the impact of the lighting was so intense that the students and the tuition teacher collapsed on the spot and sustained minor injuries.
All of them were immediately admitted at Khurda District Headquarters Hospital for treatment. However, they are said to be out of danger.
In the second such incident, two rooms of the thatched house of a resident in Patkura area of Kendrapara village also caught fire and turned into ashes following a strong lightning strike. Though no one was injured in the incident, property worth lakhs of rupees are said to be destroyed due to the lightning strikes.