83 killed after being hit by lightning in Bihar
According to media reports, at least 83 people were killed and over three dozen injured in incidents of lightning strikes across Bihar on Thursday.
In Bihar, at least 83 people lost their lives while 30 others were injured in thunderstorms and lightning that struck several parts of the state on Thursday. The lightning also killed more than 15 cattle in Khagaria district. Large scale damage to property has also been reported from various districts.
The state disaster management department said 23 districts of the state were gravely affected with Gopalganj accounting for the maximum number of casualties at 13. Uttar Pradesh has also been affected by the thunderstorms and has reported casualties.
Of 83 deaths, 23 occurred in northern Bihar, 22 in eastern Bihar and the remaining in other parts of the state.
Thirteen people, most of them farmers busy in paddy sowing activities, were killed by lightning in Gopalganj district alone while five deaths occurred in neighbouring Siwan district.
Reports from Gopalganj said all the victims were farmers and residents of Barauli, Manjha, Vijaipur, Uchkagaon and Kateya localities. The lightning stuck when they were working in their fields.
As heavy rainfall continues in northern and central Bihar, the change in moisture level has resulted in thundering and lightning.
The weather office has predicted thunderstorms in all the 38 districts of the state over the next few days along with “heavy to very heavy rainfall” in the northern, flood-prone districts, bordering Nepal.
