Daijiworld Media Network - Patna
Patna, Mar 21: Bihar is reeling under extreme weather as storms, heavy rainfall, hail, and lightning continued from Friday into Saturday, disrupting daily life and causing widespread damage.
The violent conditions have claimed six lives and injured at least ten people due to lightning strikes. Rainfall has been reported in districts including Patna, Bagaha, Bettiah, Banka, Gopalganj, Raxaul, and Khagaria, with hail in Patna and severe waterlogging in Raxaul.
Several lightning incidents caused fatalities and property damage:
• In Gaya, two farmers died in Dumaria and Wazirganj.
• In Jamui, a 15-year-old student was killed in Chakai.
• In Mokama (Patna district), ten laborers suffered burn injuries from lightning and are in stable condition.
• Araria saw two children killed and another injured when a wall collapsed during the storm.
• In Kishanganj, one woman died from lightning, and around 4,000 chickens perished in a poultry farm incident.
• Fires from lightning-struck palm trees were reported in Samastipur, Patna, and Muzaffarpur.
The storms have heavily affected agriculture, damaging maize and wheat crops due to strong winds, rain, and hail, raising concerns for farmers.
The Meteorological Department has issued alerts for 25 districts:
• Orange Alert: 4 districts, warning of winds up to 60 km/h with lightning.
• Yellow Alert: 21 districts, with temperatures expected to drop 3–5°C in the next 48 hours.
Sheohar has experienced significant waterlogging, and in Kherwa Darp Panchayat, a Navratri pandal collapsed, though no injuries were reported.
Authorities have urged residents to stay indoors during storms, avoid open areas, and exercise caution as the unstable weather continues across Bihar.