Bhubaneswar: Two persons lost their lives in separate incidents of lightning strikes in Laxmipur block of Koraput district on Sunday afternoon.
In the first incident, lightning struck near Dalakhai Thakurani Temple, a short distance from Talakaipadar Square. The deceased has been identified as Jamir Sheikh, a resident of Birbhum district of West Bengal.
Jamir Sheikh, who lived in Tikiri and earned his livelihood by selling tin boxes door-to-door, was returning from Laxmipur to Tikiri along with his friend Abdul Rehman after work. When heavy rain started, both took shelter under a tree near the temple. A lightning strike during the Kalbaisakhi storm killed Jamir Sheikh on the spot. He was rushed to Laxmipur Community Health Centre by other traders, where doctors declared him dead.
In the second incident, a student named Baublu Hikaka from Dumuri Padar village under Tayaput Panchayat was killed by lightning while grazing sheep.
Laxmipur Police have registered two separate cases regarding the deaths and will send the bodies for post-mortem examination today.
