Lightning kills 21 as India reels from floods

NEW DELHI: Lightning killed 21 people in eastern India as large swathes of the country reel under the worst floods in years that have left hundreds dead and millions displaced, officials said on Monday.

Eighteen people were killed in Odisha state, authorities there said. Another three died in Jharkhand state further north. About 10 people were injured by the widespread bolts as storms erupted over rice paddies.

Most of the victims were working in fields when lightning struck them, disaster management authority officials said. But in Jharkhand, two brothers in Kharswan district were killed when the lightning penetrated the thatched roof of their house.

The national meteorological department warned more lightning storms were expected through Tuesday. Odisha has also been badly hit by floods and another three bodies were found in waters in Jajpur district, taking the region’s toll from the deluge to seven in 48 hours.