Phulbani: Three teenage school students were struck by lightning while they were huddled together on a hilltop near their village in Kandhamal district for an online group study, police said
On Wednesday afternoon, the students had assembled on the hilltop for study considering poor internet connectivity at Mundagam village, 185 km from the state capital Bhubaneswar.
When the students did not return home by evening, their parents looked for them and found the three lying in an unconscious state on the hilltop, the police said.
They were rushed to the nearby public health centre at Brahmanpada.
Sub Divisional Police Officer, G Udayagiri, Tirupati Rao Patnaik, said that the condition of one student was critical while two others were stable.
Patnaik added that all three have been shifted to the district headquarters hospital at Phulbani.
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 was now stable.
Students usually go to the hilltop where they can easily access mobile internet, a villager said.
