At least 83 people were killed by lightning strikes Thursday in northeastern India.
Government officials in the eastern state of Bihar confirmed the deaths in a statement.
"I am distressed and heartbroken by the news of the death of 83 people," Bihar state president Sanjay Jaiswal said on Twitter.
At least 10 others were injured, according to the Associated Press.
The deaths were spread out across the state, which is in the northeastern part of the country near the borders with Nepal and Bangladesh.
Several of the victims were struck while planting seeds on farms.
(MORE: Florida Leads List of States With Most Lightning)
Natural disasters like typhoons and flooding are common in India, but lightning is the country's biggest weather killer, according to government statistics compiled by The Hindu newspaper. Between February and May 17, lightning strikes had already killed 264 people, including 58 in Bihar.
Storms are especially common before and during the monsoon season, which runs from June to September.
"Geography gets a large part of the blame for increased lightning activity this time of year on the Indian subcontinent, specifically the Himalayas to the north and the seas to the east and west," said weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Belles. "Moisture moves northward toward the Himalayas, where it is forced up and over the mountain range. This additional lift – called orographical lift – creates thunderstorms as the air rides the increasing terrain northward. Increasing terrain over the interior of the peninsula also likely increases thunderstorm activity."
Research has shown that the prevalence of agricultural workers in fields without available shelter leads to higher lightning fatality rates in India.
Storms and heavy rains with flooding are expected to continue in both India and Bangladesh. Between 10 and 20 inches of rain are forecast from northeastern Bangladesh into India this weekend.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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