Lightning strikes kill 20 in Indian state

• In just 24 hours, lightning strikes killed 20 people in the eastern Indian state of Bihar.
• More thunderstorms with lightning are expected in the state’s northern parts on Wednesday and Thursday.
• Every year, hundreds of people are killed in lightning strikes during the monsoon rains in India.

In just 24 hours, lightning strikes killed 20 people in eight districts of the eastern Indian state of Bihar.

More thunderstorms with lightning are expected in the state’s northern parts on Wednesday and Thursday.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has urged people to heed the state’s disaster management authority’s advice.

Every year, hundreds of people are killed in lightning strikes during the monsoon rains in India.

One of the reasons cited for the high number of deaths is that there are more people working outside in India than in other parts of the world, making them more vulnerable.

Mr Kumar announced on Tuesday that each of the deceased’s families would receive 400,00 rupees ($5,008; £4,154).

According to The Times of India, the chief minister held a meeting last week and directed state officials to install lightning arresters in all government buildings, including schools and hospitals.

According to the report, the state’s geographical location makes it particularly vulnerable to frequent lightning strikes during the monsoons.

The BBC reported in February of this year that the number of lightning strikes in India had increased dramatically in recent years.

The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology’s satellite data also shows that strikes “increased rapidly” between 1995 and 2014.

According to a study conducted by the non-profit Climate Resilient Observing Systems Promotion Council, India recorded more than 18 million lightning strikes between April 2020 and March 2021. This was a 34% increase over the same period the previous year.

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