Lightning strikes, heavy rains kill 36

Powerful storms killed at least 36 people in northern India, including 12 who who were struck by lightning, officials said Saturday as they warned of more heavy downpours in the coming days.

Across the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, at least 24 people died after their homes collapsed amid unrelenting rains, Relief Commissioner Ranvir Prasad said.

Officials said 39 people in the state have died from lightning in the last five days, prompting authorities to issue new guidelines for how people can protect themselves during a thunderstorm.

Col. Sanjay Srivastava, whose organization Lightning Resilient India Campaign works with the Indian Meteorological Department, said deforestation, the depletion of bodies of water, and pollution all contribute to climate change, which leads to more lightning.

There has been a 34% rise in lightning strikes across India over the past year, which has caused deaths to jump. India recorded 1,489 deaths due to lightning in 2016, and the number grew to 2,869 in 2021, said Srivastava.