Thunderstorms claim at least 69 lives across India and Nepal
Disaster officials in Nepal told AFP that eight more people were killed due to lightning strikes on Wednesday and Thursday.
At least 69 people lost their lives this week as severe thunderstorms swept through eastern India's Bihar state and parts of neighbouring Nepal, officials reported on Saturday.
Although lightning strikes and flash floods claim thousands of lives annually in the region, scientists caution that increasing global temperatures are fueling a surge in extreme weather incidents.
According to Bihar’s disaster management department, the powerful storms accompanied by intense thunder and lightning on Thursday and Friday resulted in the deaths of at least 61 individuals.
Disaster officials in Nepal told AFP that eight more people were killed due to lightning strikes on Wednesday and Thursday.
The India Meteorological Department's local office has predicted more heavy rainfall in Bihar on Saturday.
Experts have previously raised concerns that climate change is contributing to a disturbing rise in fatal lightning incidents across India, which records close to 1,900 lightning-related deaths each year.
According to research led by Fakir Mohan University in Odisha, lightning strikes were responsible for 101,309 deaths between 1967 and 2020, with a noticeable surge in fatalities occurring between 2010 and 2020.