Attabira: Two women lost their lives after being struck by lightning Thursday in Odisha’s Bargarh district, as unseasonal rain and thunderstorms continued to batter the Attabira region for the fifth consecutive day.
According to a source, 48-year-old Shanti Chhatria from Nalian Jhupudi village, near Khairapali, was returning home after collecting firewood when she was struck by lightning. The bolt reportedly hit her chest, killing her on the spot.
In another incident, 36-year-old Jashoda Mallik of Topa village was on her way to deliver lunch to her husband, Gananath Mallik, a daily wage labourer working in the fields, when she too was fatally struck by lightning. Witnesses said the lightning hit her leg, which was badly burned in the incident.
Both women were rushed to Attabira Community Health Centre, where doctor declared them dead.
The Attabira Police, acting on the orders of IIC Prakash Karna, have seized the bodies and sent them to the Bargarh District Headquarters Hospital for post-mortem. Two separate cases of unnatural death have been registered.
Local farmers have also suffered losses as paddy crops were damaged by the continuous thunderstorms and strong winds affecting the region for the past week.
PNN