The Associated Press (AP) reported on Thursday that nearly 50 people were killed by lightning strikes in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh last week, while India has recorded about 750 deaths from lightning strikes nationwide since April.
“Seven people, mostly farmers, died as a result of a lightning strike in the village. [Kaushambi] in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh [on July 26]Police said Thursday that lightning deaths in the state had reached 49 this week,” the AP reported on July 28.
Seven people who died in a lightning strike outside of Kaushambi on July 26 were part of a group that was caught in a torrential downpour while walking in an open field. The group tried to hide under nearby trees when lightning struck, killing all seven of its members.
“Among the victims are four family members and some farmers,” local police officer Hem Raj Mina told the AP.
Unfortunately, the seven lightning victims in Kaushambi on July 26 were not the only ones to die from a natural disaster in Uttar Pradesh that day. This week, state government officials released a statement confirming that five more people died in lightning strikes in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, on Tuesday. In the press release, it was also stated that six more people died as a result of lightning strikes in the cities of Gazipur (4) and Bhadohi (2) in the state of Uttar Pradesh on July 25.
“Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed his sadness at the loss of life and directed the authorities to provide financial aid to the tune of 4 lakhs. [$5,026.91 USD] Families of the deceased in Bhadohi and Kaushambi [sic]Press Foundation of India (PTI) reported on July 27.
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“More people die from lightning, but this is when people (usually) die from floods or other rain-related accidents,” a spokesman for the Uttar Pradesh government Shishir Singh said on July 28.
Singh talked about India’s annual monsoon, which lasts from June to September and brings heavy showers to the Indian subcontinent.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers the following tips for people to avoid being struck by lightning:
If you find yourself outside without a safe shelter, the following actions can reduce your risk of being struck by lightning: Get out of high places immediately, such as hills, mountains, or hills. Never lie down. Squat down like a ball with your head thrown back and your hands over your ears so you have very little contact with the ground.
Never hide under an isolated tree. If you are in the forest, hide near the trees below. Do not use cliffs or rocky outcrops as cover. Immediately exit and move away from lakes, ponds and other bodies of water. Stay away from objects that conduct electricity (such as barbed wire fences, power lines, or windmills).
Seven people who died near Kaushambi on July 26 “hid under trees” before being struck by lightning, according to the AP. According to PTI, three of the four victims of lightning struck in Gazipur on July 25 tried to hide under a tree minutes before they died.
“[F]Police said our people, including three of their cousins, had individually died after being struck by lightning.
“Late Monday night, three cousins took shelter under a tree on the outskirts of Mastipur village in the Bhudkud Kotwali police station area. They died from being struck by lightning,” PTI said.
Source: Breitbart
