"I was informed by weather experts, scientists and officials that rising temperatures due to climate change is the main cause behind the increasing lightning strikes," Bihar's Disaster Management Minister Lakshmeshwar Rai told AFP. Lightning strikes during the annual monsoon that runs from June to September are fairly common in India. Last year, 170 people were killed in lightning strikes during the monsoon period. State authorities rolled out a mobile phone app they said helps predict possible lightning strikes. More than 2,300 people were killed by lightning in India in 2018 according to the National Crime Records Bureau, the most recent figures available.

Source: Dhaka Tribune July 05, 2020 14:15 UTC