Decoded | Why lightning kills so many people in India each year

Despite technological advancement, lightning strikes remain the most common reason for deaths by forces of nature in India. We decode the reason behind it and ways to minimise fatalities.

At least 70 people died on Sunday in lightning strikes across Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. This comes a month after lightning strikes in several districts of West Bengal on June 7 killed at least 27 people. Despite technological advancement, lightning strikes remain the most common reason for deaths by forces of nature (35.3%), according to National Crime Record Bureau data.