Patna: Unseasonal storms and heavy rainfall continued to wreak havoc across Bihar for a third consecutive day, leaving at least 19 people dead and causing widespread disruption to power supply, agriculture and daily life.
According to reports, 16 of the deaths were caused by lightning strikes, while three others died in accidents linked to the adverse weather, including wall collapses and falling tree branches. The storms also inflicted significant damage on mango, litchi and other agricultural crops across several districts.
Strong winds uprooted trees, damaged electricity poles and snapped power lines, leading to widespread outages across nearly one-third of the state.
Over the past 24 hours, heavy rainfall was recorded in around 13 districts. Wind speeds ranged between 70 and 74 kmph in several areas, while Patna recorded gusts of up to 107 kmph. The highest rainfall was recorded in Motihari, East Champaran, which received 116 mm of rain. Patna recorded 13 mm.
Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary has directed the Disaster Management and Agriculture departments to assess the extent of damage caused by the storms and rainfall.
Lightning Deaths Reported Across Multiple Districts
Patna district reported four deaths caused by lightning strikes.
In Nawada, three people, including two women, were killed after being struck by lightning, while five others suffered burn injuries in separate incidents in Pachamba and Oro. Three of the victims belonged to the same family.
Three more people died due to lightning strikes in Gaya district.
In Aurangabad, two people, including a school teacher, were killed after lightning struck on Friday morning. Chapra also reported two deaths, including that of a farmer.
A 12-year-old student died in East Champaran’s Paharpur area after falling from a litchi tree amid panic caused by a nearby lightning strike.
In Bhojpur district, lightning struck a thatched house in Chauri village, causing a fire that left five members of the same family, including a husband and wife, with serious burn injuries.
Separate lightning-related deaths were also reported from Khagaria and Bhagalpur.
Storm-Related Accidents Claim Additional Lives
Apart from lightning fatalities, several deaths occurred in weather-related accidents.
In Sasaram’s Parasathua area, a newly constructed wall collapsed during the storm, killing a man.
In East Champaran, a 40-year-old man died after a large branch from an old banyan tree broke off and fell during strong winds.
Power Supply Hit Across Large Parts of State
The severe weather caused widespread damage to electricity infrastructure, resulting in prolonged power outages across many districts.
Officials said power availability fell by around 20% compared with normal levels as electricity lines, poles and feeders were damaged by strong winds and falling trees.
In Jamui, heavy rain and hailstorms damaged the 33 kV Simultala feeder. Power supply was also disrupted in Bhaironganj after trees fell on transmission lines.
Several districts, including Siwan, Gopalganj, Saran, Jehanabad, Sasaram and Gaya, experienced outages lasting several hours.
In Siwan’s Darauli and Guthani blocks, trees fell on power lines at multiple locations and damaged insulators.
Residents in Kateya, Gopalganj, remained without electricity for nearly eight hours. In Jalalpur, Chapra, an 11,000-volt power line snapped and fell.
Rajgir witnessed a complete blackout until the afternoon after electric poles were damaged by the storm. In Dumraon, Buxar, power supply from several feeders remained suspended for around five hours due to damaged lines and burst insulators.
In Karpi, Jehanabad, a snapped power line disrupted supply to the town and surrounding villages for nearly five hours. Kaimur reported disruptions to multiple 33 kV and 11 kV feeders, while more than 150 electricity poles were reportedly damaged across Sasaram district.
Crops Suffer Heavy Losses
The continuing spell of rain, hail and strong winds has also caused extensive damage to standing crops and fruit orchards, particularly mango and litchi plantations.
Agriculture and disaster management officials have been directed to conduct a detailed assessment of losses, amid concerns over the impact on farmers and rural livelihoods.
Meteorological officials have indicated that unstable weather conditions may persist over the coming days, raising the possibility of further rainfall, thunderstorms and lightning across parts of Bihar.
