Lightning claims 38 lives in 24 hours, Uttar Pradesh

Image credit: skyseeker
Lightning claimed 38 lives within 24 hours in Uttar Pradesh, India on July 10, 2024. The incident was followed by 10 deaths and 20 injuries caused by lightning strikes on July 9 in the same state.
Lightning strikes left at least 38 people dead on July 10 across several locations in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.
Most of the deaths took place in Pratapgarh (11), followed by Sultanpur (7), and Chandauli (6).
Just a day before, on July 9, lightning strikes claimed 10 lives and left 20 injured in the same state in different regions of Prayagraj, Kaushambi, and Pratapgarh districts.
On both occasions, the victims were outside engaged in farming or fishing-related activities. Local authorities have urged citizens to follow precautionary safety measures during the rains.
The deaths were reported while the state is struggling with the flooding that comes with the monsoon in the region.
Videos of the rescue operations in the deluge by the Indian army surfaced on social media.
Indian Army conducts rescue operations in Shahjahanpur #UttarPradesh even as heavy rains and lightning incidents claim 42 lives across the state pic.twitter.com/4uj4rpZGeM
— Neeraj ( Writer/YouthMindset4Peace) #ActOnClimate (@Neeraj10z) July 12, 2024
The lightning was accompanied by the monsoon rains affecting the region leaving several injured and hospitalized along with the fatalities. The district of Chandauli received heavy rainfall accompanied by lightning between 16:00 and 18:00, while other districts faced similar circumstances.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts more widespread rainfall over the state of Uttar Pradesh over the next five days.
Currently, several regions in the state are receiving heavy rainfall according to IMD forecasts.
East Uttar Pradesh : Heavy to Very Heavy Rainfall during past 24 hours of 12.07.2024 #weatherupdate #significantrainfall #VeryHeavyRain@moesgoi@ndmaindia@DDNational@airnewsalerts pic.twitter.com/0OgrhvrlML
— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) July 12, 2024
References:
1 38 killed in a day due to lightning strikes in UP as rain batters state – India Today – July 11, 2024
2 Thunderbolt kills 10, injures over 20 in Prayagraj –HT– July 10, 2024
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.


Commenting rules and guidelines
We value the thoughts and opinions of our readers and welcome healthy discussions on our website. In order to maintain a respectful and positive community, we ask that all commenters follow these rules.