INDIA: Lightning, thunderstorms kill 29 in Bihar

Lightning and thunderstorms have killed 29 people and injured dozens of others in India’s eastern state of Bihar, disaster management officials said.  The deaths took place in villages across the districts of Jamui, Champaran, Vaishali and Samastipur on Sunday. “Twenty-six people died due to being struck by the lightning and six more casualties occurred due […]

Lightning and thunderstorms have killed 29 people and injured dozens of others in India’s eastern state of Bihar, disaster management officials said. 

The deaths took place in villages across the districts of Jamui, Champaran, Vaishali and Samastipur on Sunday.

“Twenty-six people died due to being struck by the lightning and six more casualties occurred due to the collapsing of walls and homes,” Anirudh Kumar, of Bihar’s Disaster Management Authority, said.  

Kumar said that the fierce winds and uprooted trees damaged about 250 homes in the ten districts of Bihar, according to a preliminary assessment.

The victims were mainly farmers and homeless people, he added. The wounded were given medical treatment at hospitals and were discharged, Kumar said.

Strong winds also damaged crops and property, as state agencies were assessing the damage, he added.

The storm occurred during the height of summer in India, which has seen soaring temperatures across many states in advance of the monsoon season.