JAJPUR: Lightning has claimed more than 79 lives across Jajpur district in the last four-and-a-half years.
As per the district emergency office records, an average of 18 people are killed due to lightning every year in Jajpur.
While 16 people were killed in 2015, eight died in 2016. Similarly, 26 and 18 persons were killed due to lightning strikes in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
As of June 20 this year, 11 people have been killed due to lightning in the district.
Majority of the casualties were reported from Sukinda, Danagadi, Korei, Bari, Binjharpur and Dharmasala blocks of the district, sources said.
Although advance information regarding lightning and thunderstorm are being provided to people by the India Meteorological Department, awareness among the masses is the need of the hour, said social activists.
Prasant Kumar Sahu, who has been working in the field of disaster management for the last three decades said farm workers and daily wagers are more prone to the disaster than others.
He said such people must be made aware of steps to deal with natural calamities like lightning.