**Mayurbhanj:** In a shocking incident, two persons who had gone to the cremation ground to do the last rites of their deceased relative were struck by lightning and died on spot.
Notably, an old man had died in the afternoon in Chachinapada village under Nuagoan panchayat in Betanati after which his relatives had carried him to the cremation ground for his last rites. At around 4:30 pm, thunderstorm accompanied by lightning lashed that area. Two persons named Kuanl Soren (55) and Basen Majhi (40) died on spot after the lightning struck on them.
The others rushed them to Betanati hospital where the doctors declared them brought dead. A pall of gloom has descended over the village over these untimely deaths.
Lightning kills more people in Odisha than any other calamity in the state and an average of 325 people die of lightning every year in Odisha.
According to a report of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) office, as many as 1623 people have succumbed to lightning strikes in the state during last five years.
