Koraput: In a tragic incident, three members of a family, including a 13-year-old girl, were killed reportedly after being struck by lightning in Kandha Putabandha village under Pottangi block of Odisha's Koraput district on Wednesday.
The deceased have been identified as Gamel Krishna (49), his daughter Gamel Kami (13), and one of their relatives Gamel Tumbai (35), said police.
The incident occurred at around 12.30 PM while they were in a farmland in their village. As thundershowers lashed the area, the trio took shelter under a tree when they were struck by lightning. All three died on the spot, police said.
"The bodies have been recovered and sent for post-mortem," PTI quoted Pottangi Tehsildar Bahadur Singh Dharua as saying.
The official stated that an immediate compensation of Rs 10,000 each has been sanctioned for the bereaved families, and further assistance will be provided soon as per government norms.
Meanwhile, the regional centre of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Bhubaneswar has issued yellow warning predicting thunderstorm and lightning in as many as 19 districts of Odisha during the next 24 hours.
As per the IMD forecast, thunderstorm with lightning accompanied by gusty surface winds is very likely to occur in the afternoon and evening at several places in Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khordha, Nayagarh, Keonjhar, Angul and Dhenkanal district.
