NEW DELHI, June 6 (UPI) -- Lightning killed at least 31 people across India this week, 27 of them in eastern Bihar state alone, with the onset of the southwest monsoon, authorities said.
In Bihar, where lightning strikes are common during the season, authorities said at least 27 people had died in various parts of the state since Tuesday. Those killed included two girls in Aurangabad district and three boys in Rohtas district, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.
Other reports said several more people were injured by the bolts.
The Indian Express newspaper said in the southern coastal state of Andhra Pradesh lightning accompanying heavy showers killed three people in Guntur district's Narasaiah Palem village. Those killed included a 40-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman, both of whom were working in the fields. The third person killed was a boy.
Lighting strikes also injured at least five people at a railway station platform near the state capital Hyderabad. They were taken to a nearby hospital. The rest of Andhra Pradesh state was lashed by heavy rains, but no major damage was reported.
Lightning killed a farm worker Monday and injured two other workers in Seval village in western Gujarat state, the Times of India reported. Heavy showers were reported in much of the state with more forecast for remainder of the week.
