Lightning strikes claim 26 lives in India's Bihar

PATNA - During the ongoing spell of heavy rains in India, at least 26 people were killed due to lightning strikes in different incidents happened in Bihar state, BBC Urdu reported.

The lightning killed five people in Rohtas district, four in Patna while others lost their lives in different districts of the states.

The state government has announced a compensation of Rs400,000 each to the aggrieved families.

Such incidents are common during monsoon rains in India, the media outlet reported.

According to a department responsible to maintain records of accidental deaths, around two thousand people have lost their lives every year in such incidents since 2005.

A surge has also been recorded in deaths by lightning in neighbouring country Bangladesh.

Scientists are of the view that incidents of lightning can increase in future due to growing global warming.