Lightning kills 26 across 8 districts in Bihar

PATNA: Lightning strikes killed 26 people in eight districts, mostly in north Bihar, on Thursday. The death toll included six people from rural Patna as well.
This is the third incident of mass lightning deaths in the state within a week. Earlier, 92 people were killed by lightning strikes across 22 districts on June 25 followed by 11 deaths in five districts on June 30.
The highest toll on Thursday was reported from Samastipur with seven deaths, followed by Patna (6), East Champaran (4), Samastipur (3), Katihar (3), Sheohar (2), Madhepura (2), and one each from Purnia and West Champaran.Majority of those killed on all three days were farm workers.
Chief minister Nitish Kumar announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of all those who died due to lightning. The CM also made an appeal to people to take necessary precautions during the turbulent weather.
Union home minister Amit Shah also offered his condolences. “Sad to hear about the death of many people in Bihar due to lightning strikes. Teams of the state government and disaster management department are carrying out relief work. I express my condolences to the family of the deceased persons and pray for early recovery of injured persons,” Shah tweeted.
Weathermen have cautioned people to remain alert as more lightning strikes are expected over the next couple of days. The Patna Meteorological Centre issued a yellow-coloured warning for thunderstorms along with lightning in all 38 districts till Saturday. A yellow warning stipulates that authorities should be watchful for extreme weather conditions.
Apart from warnings for lightning strikes, a forecast has also been issued for rainfall with thunderstorms at many places in all 38 districts in the state till July 6.
Thundershowers along with lightning have been attributed to the combined impact of several weather factors in the region, including two trough lines along with two cyclonic circulations.
The daily weather bulletin issued by the meteorological centre on Thursday evening stated that the monsoon trough line was passing through Ganganagar to Imphal across Patna. The rainfall in the monsoon season normally hinges along the monsoon trough line.
Another trough line was passing through east Uttar Pradesh to Vidarbha across east Madhya Pradesh.
Besides, a cyclonic circulation was situated over east Uttar Pradesh and its neighbourhood and another over south coastal Odisha and its neighbourhood.
As a result of all such weather features, the all India weather bulletin issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday evening stated that fairly widespread to widespread rainfall activity with isolated heavy rainfall was expected over north- east and India, comprising Bihar, over the next five days.
(With inputs from SK Jain in Samastipur)