Death toll rises to 50 in India amid lightning

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Death toll rises to 50 in India amid lightning

Sushil Kumar Bind leads his family members towards the field where his wife Khushboo who was killed by lightning on July 25 at Piparaon village on the outskirts of Prayagraj, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Thursday, July 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

OAN Newsroom

UPDATED 7:20 PM PT – Thursday, July 28, 2022

At least 49 people are dead after lightning strikes a village in India. Authorities reported on Thursday that the high death toll has prompted the government to issue new guidelines for how people can protect themselves during a lightning storm. The chief minister of Bihar has called on citizens to follow the state's safety procedures to avoid injury or death. Additionally, victim's families will receive compensation equivalent to $5,000 each.

"Follow the advisory issued by the disaster management department from time to time for being safe during lightning," Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of Bihar said. "Stay indoors and safe during bad weather." 

The high death toll has prompted the government to issue new guidelines for how people can protect themselves during a lightning storm, said state government spokesperson Shishir Singh.

"People are dying more from lightning than rain-related incidents, though this is the time when people typically die of floods or other rain-related incidents," Singh voiced.

Dont take shelter under a tree during lightning / rain ❗
Video – Lightning struck four horticulture staffers in India. One dead, three injured.#Lightningstrikes ⚡ #Lightning #StaySafe pic.twitter.com/cn3qTsu3Jh

— Sri Lanka Tweet 🇱🇰 💉 (@SriLankaTweet) March 13, 2021

Experts noted that the state's geographical location makes it easy for lightning strikes to occur during monsoon storms. One of the main contributing factors to India's growing deaths from extreme weather is the high number of people who work outdoors in rural and urban areas.

Officials noted that lightning strikes kill more than 2,500 Indians on average every year.

Source: Death toll rises to 50 in India amid lightning