Red Alert has been issued across Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, as bolts of lightning across these two states have killed 107 in one day. In Bihar, a total of 23 districts reported fatalities, with Gopalganj having recorded the maximum number of deaths, while in Uttar Pradesh, there were 24 deaths reported. Notably, all those who had died had been agricultural field workers.
A relief amount of 4 lakh has been announced for all the families who had reported fatalities due to the storm by both the state governments.
“Widespread rain after a gap causes more thunderstorm and lightning activity. Since it’s a favourable time of crop sowing, more people are out in the fields and they are the most vulnerable to a lightning strike,” Anand Shankar, a weather scientist at Patna IMD centre, said. Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his counterpart in Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, have appealed to their citizens to follow the precautions imposed by the meteorological department.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to express their regret over this incident and urged the respective state governments and their party workers to help the families of the victims.