Lightning strikes during monsoon storms in eastern India this week killed at least 33 people and injured dozens, officials said on Friday.

The deaths in Bihar occurred during fierce storms between Wednesday and Thursday, a state disaster management department statement said, with the victims mostly farmers and labourers working in the open.

More heavy rain and lightning are forecast for parts of the state.

Bihar state’s disaster management minister, Vijay Kumar Mandal, told AFP that officials in vulnerable districts had been directed to “create awareness to take precautionary steps following an alert on lightning”.

The state government announced compensation of 4 million Indian rupees ($4,600) to the families of those killed by lightning.

India’s eastern region, including Bihar, is prone to annual floods that kill dozens and displace hundreds of thousands of people during the peak monsoon season.

South Asia’s annual monsoon season from June to September offers respite from the intense summer heat and is crucial for replenishing water supplies, but also brings widespread death and destruction.

The region is getting hotter and in recent years has seen shifting weather patterns, but scientists are unclear on how exactly a warming planet is affecting monsoons.

In May, Mumbai was swamped by monsoon rain that began two weeks earlier than usual, the earliest for nearly a quarter of a century, according to weather forecasters.

At least 34 people died over four days in early June in India’s northeastern region after heavy floods caused landslides. Another four lost their lives in Bangladesh.

At least 243 died by lightning in 2024 and 275 the year earlier, according to the state government.