Connect with us

International

21 killed as lightning strikes eastern Indian state of Bihar

Published

on

At least 21 people have been confirmed killed after lightning struck India’s eastern state of Bihar following heavy rains over the past 24 hours, state officials said.

An official at the state’s Disaster Management Authority said on Tuesday that those who were killed were mostly “farmers or workers in agriculture fields who were busy sowing crops or engaged in other agriculture-related activities.”

The official deaths were reported around 10 districts in the state.

“Purnia and Araria both reported four deaths, three died in the Supaul district, two deaths were reported each from Banka, Jamui and Nawada, and one death occurred each in Begusarai, Sheikhpura, Saran and Saharsa,” the official said.

Read also:Six men arrested for allegedly raping, killing teenage Indian sisters

The Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, also on Tuesday, announced a monetary compensation of 400,000 Indian Rupees ($5,023) for each of the bereaved families.

Kumar advised the people to be alert during inclement weather.

“People must follow the directions issued by the state disaster management authority to save themselves from lightning incidents.
One must stay indoors during inclement weather,” he said.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

20 − 6 =