At least 69 individuals have tragically lost their lives this week due to unusually severe thunderstorms in Bihar, eastern India, and neighboring Nepal, according to official reports released on Saturday.

While flash floods and lightning strikes result in thousands of fatalities annually, scientists are cautioning that the escalating global temperatures are triggering a series of extreme weather events.

Disaster management authorities in Bihar reported on Saturday that a minimum of 61 individuals perished in intense thunderstorms and lightning that occurred on Thursday and Friday.

Furthermore, in neighboring Nepal, disaster management officials reported to AFP that eight additional lives were claimed due to “lightning strikes” on Wednesday and Thursday.

The local India Meteorological Department office has issued a forecast indicating the likelihood of more heavy rainfall in Bihar on Saturday.

Last year, experts issued a warning that climate change is contributing to an alarming surge in fatal lightning strikes across India, leading to nearly 1,900 deaths each year in the nation with the world’s largest population.

A team of researchers from Fakir Mohan University in Odisha stated that lightning was responsible for 101,309 deaths between 1967 and 2020, with a notable increase observed between 2010 and 2020.