Alwaght- lightening strikes has killed at least 79 people in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh, officials say.
Timesofindia.indiatimes.com cited India's Disaster management department principal secretary Vyasji as saying that "At least 55 people were killed and 8 injured in lightning in different districts of Bihar State.
Nalanda, Aurangabad, Rohtas and Purnea were the worst hit districts of the state.
Ten other people were killed in the eastern state of Jharkhand, and at least 16 died in Madhya Pradesh.
Most of the people who died were working on farms during torrential rains, reports said.
Lightning strikes are fairly frequent in India during the monsoon season which commenced from the second week of June to October. The downpours that started earlier this week were the first of this monsoon season.
At least 2,000 people have died in lightning strikes in India every year since 2005, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.
in 2014, over 2,500 Indians were hit by lightning and died, the Bureau says.
India receives 80% of its annual rainfall during the monsoon season, which runs between June and September.
