NEW DELHI, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 people died and three were severely injured in India's eastern state of Odisha due to lightning strikes amid heavy rains over the past 24 hours, a senior official in the state government said on Sunday.
According to him, lightning strikes killed four in the state's Khurda district, two in Bolangir and one each in Angul, Boudh, Jagatsinghpur and Dhenkanal.
Three people in Khurda were also injured in lightning strikes, he added.
The coastal areas of Odisha, including the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, also witnessed heavy rains on Saturday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast that a similar situation would continue in parts of the state over the next four days. The IMD also advised people to take shelter in safe places during thunderstorms. ■
