Last updated: October 07, 2022, 11:26 AM IST
Three teenage students were struck by lightning (Representative Image: PTI)
The students had gathered on the hilltop to study because of the poor internet connection in the village of Mundagam, 185 km from the capital Bhubaneswar
Three teenage students were struck by lightning as they sat together on a hilltop near their village in Kandhamal district for an online group study, police said Thursday.
The students had gathered on the hilltop on Wednesday afternoon due to poor internet connectivity in the village of Mundagam, 185 km from the capital Bhubaneswar.
When the students did not return home by evening, their parents went to look for them and found the three unconscious on the hilltop, police said. They were rushed to the nearby health center in Brahmanpada.
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Sub Divisional Police Officer, G Udayagiri, Tirupati Rao Patnaik, said the condition of one student was critical while two others were stable. All three have been transferred to the district headquarters hospital in Phulbani, Patnaik said. The students were identified as Dhiren Digal (17), Pinku Mallick (17) and Panchanan Behera (18).
Chief District Medical Officer, Kandhamal, Dr. Monoj Upadhay said their condition is now stable. Students usually go to Digi hilltop where they can easily access mobile internet, one villager said.
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