At least 83 people were killed and 30 wounded in thunderstorms and lightning strikes in several parts of Bihar on Thursday, the Hindustan Times reported. Lightning strikes also killed 15 cattle in Khagaria district. Damage to property was reported from several districts.
“Thirteen people died in Gopalganj, eight each lost their lives in Madhubani and Nawada, six each in Siwan and Bhagalpur, five each in East Champaran, Darbhanga and Banka, three each in Khagaria and Aurangabad, two each in West Champaran, Kishanganj, Jehanabad, Jamui, Purnia, Supaul, Buxar and Kaimur and one each in Samastipur, Sheohar, Saran, Sitamarhi and Madhepura,” state Principal Secretary (Disaster Management) Pratyaya Amrit said.
In Gopalganj district, the deceased were residents of Barauli, Manjha, Vijaipur, Uchkagaon and Kateya areas. The lightning struck when they were working in their farms. Gopalganj Sadar Hospital, where the injured were brought for treatment, had a flooded emergency ward. District Magistrate Arshad Aziz said seven people were admitted to the hospital, and added that compensation will be provided to the kin of the deceased.
In Madhubani, eight of a family were killed in villages under Phulparas and Benipatti police station limits. In East Champaran district, among other deaths was a 14-year-old girl killed in a lightning strike in Surendra village under Raxaul police station limits.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each for the kin of the deceased, and directed officials to ensure that proper treatment was provided to the wounded.
Last year, 39 people were killed in lightning strikes and torrential rain during the monsoon season in Bihar.
Uttar Pradesh
There were 24 casualties from lightning strikes and heavy rainfall in Uttar Pradesh, IANS reported. Nine of them died in Deoria district. “Amid rain and thunderstorms, 24 people have died due to lightning strikes in various districts of the state today – one in Kushinagar, one in Fatehpur, one in Unnao, nine in Deoria, two in Barabanki, six in Prayagraj, three in Ambedkar Nagar and one in Balrampur,” Uttar Pradesh Relief Commissioner Sanjay Goyal said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences on Twitter. “In some districts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, heavy rains and lightning caused the death of many people,” he tweeted. “The state governments are engaged in relief work with promptness. I express my condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in this disaster.”
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