ROURKELA: In a tragic incident, lightning struck a rural football match venue killing a minor boy and a youth at Banailata village under the Hathibari police limit in Sundargarh district on Sunday.
The incident occurred around 3.15 pm, about 35 km from Rourkela. As many as 35 others in the audience were injured after being hit by lightning.
Birmitrapur SDPO MR Pradhan identified the deceased as Michael Surin (15) and Ajya Lakhua (21). Both were sitting on the branches of a tree to watch a soccer match when the mishap occurred.
The SDPO said 35 others in the audience were also injured in the lightning strike and 29 of them were shifted to Rourkela Government Hospital and efforts were underway to shift the remaining six to the RGH.
Birmitrapur MLA Shankar Oram visited the spot and also the RGH. A 45-years-old person with critical shock and burn injuries was later shifted to JP hospital from the RGH, he added. The injured included a three-year-old boy too. As per the traditional healing practice, soon after such an incident, villagers buried the injured persons in heaps of cow dung or fully smeared them with it.