Lightning strikes kill 33 people in Bihar

Lightning strikes during monsoon storms in eastern India this week killed at least 33 people and injured many more, locals officials said Friday.

The deaths in Bihar occurred during fierce storms between Wednesday and Thursday, a state disaster management department statement said, with the victims mostly farmers and labourers working in the open.

More heavy rain and lightning are forecast for parts of the state.

Bihar state's disaster management minister, Vijay Kumar Mandal, told AFP that officials in vulnerable districts had been directed to "create awareness to take precautionary steps following an alert on lightning".

The state government announced compensation of 4 million rupees ($4,600) to the families of those killed by lightning.

India's eastern region, including Bihar, is prone to annual floods that kill dozens and displace hundreds of thousands of people during peak monsoon season.