Patna, July 12: As many as 25 people lost their lives and 39 others were injured in lightning strikes across several districts of Bihar in the last 24 hours. Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, on Friday expressed condolences and directed officials to provide Rs 4 lakh as ex-gratia to each of the families of the deceased.
He also urged people to stay indoors during the rain and thunderstorms. Out of the 25 people who lost their lives, five died in Madhubani, four in Aurangabad, three in Supaul, three in Nalanda, two each in Lakhisarai and Patna, and one each in Begusarai, Jamui, Gopalganj, Rohtas, Samastipur and Purnea. According to the Bihar State Disaster Management Authority, 50 people have died due to lightning strikes in July alone.
However, the unofficial figure may be more than that. The Authority has urged caution in the next few days as heavy rains, thunderstorms, and lightning strikes occurred in several districts of Bihar on Thursday and are expected to continue for the next two days.
The Meteorological Department has forecast moderate to heavy rain with thunderstorms and lightning in many areas, including Patna, on Friday, and issued an ‘Orange Alert’ for Kishanganj and Araria districts. On Thursday, 22 students in Barka Gaon Village, under Tarari police station, were injured when lightning struck a palm tree near their classrooms. They were admitted to Sadar Hospital Arrah.
In other districts, 17 more people sustained burn injuries due to lightning strikes. The met department recorded 112.2 mm of rainfall in the Bahadurganj block in Kishanganj District. Patna received 52.8 mm of rain on Thursday.
Apart from this, 102.0 mm of rain was recorded in Triveni block, 55.4 mm in Gaunaha and 42.6 mm in Lauriya in West Champaran District, 76.4 mm in Sahebpur Kamal of Begusarai, 60.2 mm in Narpatganj of Araria, 60.2 mm in Siwan, 54.2 mm in Narpatganj of Supaul, 43.2 mm in Sanjhauli of Rohtas and 42.8 mm in Suryagarha of Lakhisarai.
IANS