Lightning strikes claim 25 lives in Bihar, Jharkhand

At least 25 people were killed and four others injured in lightning strikes in Bihar and Jharkhand, police said on Wednesday.

Thirteen people died in Aurangabad, East Champaran and Bhagalpur districts of Bihar, while 12 others lost their lives in Jamtara, Ramgarh, Pakur and Dumka districts of Jharkhand since Tuesday night, the police said.

Bihar is also witnessing heavy rains and the disaster management department said the state had received an average rainfall of 28.9 mm on Wednesday.

Four people, including a woman, were killed on Tuesday night in Goh police station area, Station House Officer (SHO) Venkateshwar Ojha said. Three others died in Rafiganj and Kasma police station areas.

In East Champaran, a 13-year-old girl and another person died in their sleep when lightning struck the asbestos roof of their house at Patpariya village under Mofussil police station area, SHO Manish Kumar said. Two others were killed in Gobindganj and Kotwa police station areas in the morning.

A couple of more persons lost their lives at Sanokhar and Amdanda police station areas in Bhagalpur district on Tuesday night, police said.

Unconfirmed reports, however, claimed that over 30 people were killed in the rain-hit state.

In Jharkhand, five people, including two minors, were killed and one person was injured at Kusmahapahadi block of Jamtara district, Circle Officer Chandradev Prasad said.

All of them were returning after taking bath at a nearby pond when it started raining. They stood under a road bridge when lightning struck them, Prasad said.

A 60-year-old woman also lost her life at Bindapathar village in Jamtara, the officer said.

In Ramgarh district, two persons were killed and as many injured when lightning struck them at Chikor village. They were watching a cricket match standing under a tree when the incident happened, Patratu sub-divisional police officer Prakash Chandra Mahto said.

Two women also died in lightning strikes while working in the fields at Littipara and Hiranpur police station areas in Pakur district, police said.

In Dumka district, a 50-year-old man and his 11-year-old granddaughter were killed in lightning strike at a village in Sarayahaat police station area. His another granddaughter was injured in the incident when all of them were in a paddy field, the police said.