PATNA: At least 61 people have died due to lightning strikes and hailstorms that lashed several districts of Bihar over the past 48 hours. Nalanda district reported the highest number of fatalities, with 22 deaths on Thursday alone.
Other districts also reported casualties: Patna, Bhojpur, Siwan, and Gaya recorded four deaths each; Gopalganj and Jamui reported three each; Muzaffarpur, Jehanabad, Saran, and Arwal reported two deaths each; while Begusarai, Darbhanga, Saharsa, Katihar, Munger, Madhepura, Araria, and Bhagalpur each reported one death.
Nalanda District Magistrate Shashank Bhubhankar confirmed that 21 people died due to thunderstorms and one due to lightning. He added that relief and rescue operations are underway in the affected areas. Instructions have been issued to hand over the bodies to their families after postmortem examinations.
Efforts are also being made to restore traffic disrupted by fallen trees. Police personnel have been deployed to clear roads by removing logs and branches.
Six people died in Nagma village under the Manpur police station limits when a tree fell on a temple on Thursday. The victims had taken shelter in the temple during the hailstorm, and a wall collapse caused their deaths.
Other fatalities in Nalanda district were reported from Jaitipur under Islampur block, Dekpura under Rahui block, as well as from the Silao and Giriyak blocks. The district administration has released emergency contact numbers for residents.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed grief over the loss of lives and announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 4 lakh to the families of the deceased. In a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office, people were urged to stay indoors and go out only in cases of emergency.
On Wednesday, 13 more people had died due to lightning strikes across four districts of the state. Heavy rains and hailstorms have affected at least 25 out of Bihar’s 38 districts in the past two days.
In addition to the loss of human lives, the storms have caused extensive damage to homes, livestock, and agricultural crops. A senior official from the State Disaster Management Department stated that district officials have been directed to assess the damage to property and crops. Compensation will be provided to affected individuals based on their reports.