BEVERLY HILLS, June 22, (THEWILL) – Indian officials have confirmed that at least 79 people have been killed and more than 20 injured by lightning strikes in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh.
At least 53 people died in Bihar, 10 people were killed in neighbouring Jharkhand and 16 died in Madhya Pradesh, the officials said.
Most of the people who died were working on farms during torrential rains on Tuesday, reports said.
Lightning strikes are common in India during heavy monsoon rains, the BBC reports.
In the North-East state of Bihar, the deaths occurred in Nalanda, Aurangabad, Rohtas, Purnea, Munger, Gaya, Saharsa, Bhagalpur, Banka and Kaimur.
One man taken to hospital in Rohtas said: “When it was raining we immediately took shelter. It hit us there, and then we fell unconscious.
“We could not understand what had happened. Then in the middle, when I regained consciousness, I realised that I had been hit by something.”
At least 2,000 people have died in lightning strikes in India every year since 2005, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.
India receives 80 per cent of its annual rainfall during the monsoon season, which runs between June and September.
Story by David Oputah
