Deadly Lightning Strikes Kill 76 on Sunday

HOUSTON (BACKSTAGEOL)- More than 75 people have been confirmed dead by lightning strikes across northern India in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh within the last 24 hours.

Lightning first hit the city of Jaipur, a popular tourist spot in northern Rajasthan on Sunday evening. Of the growing number of bodies being found, at least 23 people died on the outskirts of the city.

“There was a tower there. When the lightning struck, the tower’s wall collapsed, many people were buried under it. Since the fort is on a hill, when the debris was falling and space reduced, some people also fell into a ditch,” disaster management official Shankar Lal Saini shared with CNN.

“Many people died in front of our eyes. If people had gotten help and authorities had reached on time then [they would have been alive],” an eyewitness tells sources. “We brought many people down. We rescued the people who were still alive, those who were still breathing, and pulled some people out of the gorge,” they added.

A lightning strike captured in the city of Jaipur on Sunday evening.

During the grueling summer months, lightning strikes seem to be common in the Asian region. The dry heat allows for the northern Indian plains to become susceptible to these types of accidents.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expresses his feelings about Sunday’s tragedy, “Many people have lost their lives due to lightning in some areas of Rajasthan… I express my deepest condolences to the families of those killed,” he writes.

It is reported that 27 people were at the top of the attraction when the incident occurred. Many people were seen leaping from the tower for safety as lightning hit. At least another 41 deaths have been reported in Uttar Pradesh following the severe storm that continues to take control of northern India.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot plans to compensate up to 500,000 rupees (£4,800) for the families of the deceased reported in a tweet.