KORAPUT/JEYPORE: Three members of a family and their pet dog were killed after being struck by lightning in Kandhaputbandh village under Ampabali gram panchayat of Pottangi block in Koraput district on Tuesday.
The deceased were identified as Gemel Tumbai (58), his daughter Gemel Kami (13) and their relative Gemel Krishna (47) of Kandhaputbandh.
The tragic incident took place at around 3 pm. Sources said the trio was engaged in agricultural activities in their field near the village when they were caught in a sudden thunderstorm accompanied by lightning and rain. They along with their pet dog took shelter under a tree. However, a bolt of lightning struck, killing them instantly.
Later, villagers found the trio and their dog lying dead under the tree. On being informed, Pottangi tehsildar Devendra Singh Dharua and revenue staff reached the spot to take stock of the situation. The bodies were sent to the local community health centre for postmortem.
Dharua said necessary steps are being taken to provide immediate financial assistance to the bereaved family as per government norms.
Koraput collector V Keerthi Vasan urged people to take necessary precautions during thunderstorms.