20 people killed by lightning in an Indian state.

 In just one day, lightning strikes in the eastern Indian state of Bihar claimed the lives of 20 individuals in eight different districts.

More thunderstorms with lightning are expected for Wednesday and Thursday in the state's north.

Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of Bihar, has urged citizens to heed the state's disaster management authority's recommendations carefully.

During the monsoon season, hundreds of people pass away in India due to lightning strikes every year.

The fact that more people are working outside India than in other countries makes them more exposed, which is one explanation for the high death toll.

Mr. Kumar declared on Tuesday that each deceased person's family would receive 400,00 rupees ($5,008; £4,154) in compensation.

According to The Times of India newspaper, during a meeting last week, the chief minister requested state officials install lightning arresters at all public facilities, including schools and hospitals.

According to the paper, the state is particularly vulnerable to lightning strikes during the monsoon because of its geographic location.

The BBC reported in February of this year that there have recently been many more lightning strikes in India.

The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology's collection of satellite data also reveals that between 1995 and 2014, attacks "grew substantially."

From April 2020 to March 2021, India saw more than 18 million lightning strikes, according to a report by the nonprofit Climate Resilient Observing Systems Promotion Council. This represented a rise of 34% over a similar period during the previous year.

Source: BBC