Eighteen people were killed in lightning strikes across five districts of Bihar on Saturday, according to data published by the state’s Disaster Management Department.
The maximum number of deaths – nine – were reported from Bhojpur district. Four people died in Saran district, while two deaths each were reported from Patna and Kaimur. One person died in the state’s Buxar district.
Nearly 120 people have died in the state recently due to rain-related reasons. On Friday, at least eight people were killed in lightning strikes in Bihar, according to PTI. Three people died in Samastipur, two in Lakhisarai and one death each was reported from Gaya, Banka and Jamui districts.
A day before that, 26 deaths were reported from eight districts of Bihar. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of people killed in the lightning strikes.
Last month, at least 83 people were killed and 30 injured in thunderstorms and lightning strikes in several parts of Bihar. In neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, lightning strikes and heavy rainfall killed 24 people.
Lightning and thunderstorms are common in India in the rainy reason. Lightning strikes, however, have become more frequent now because of a change in weather patterns, where there are longer periods of dry weather between spells of heavy rainfall, according to a report cited by Reuters from the Climate Resilient Observing Systems Promotion Council – a non governmental organisation linked to the Indian Institute of Technology.
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