As many as 17 persons were killed in Bihar as they were struck in various incidents of lightning during thunderstorms as the southwest monsoon advanced further into the state.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on twitter: "Six people died in Bhagalpur, 3 in Vaishali, 2 in Khagaria, 1 in Katihar, 1 in Saharsa, 1 in Madhepura, 2 in Banka and 1 in Munger due to thunderstorm and lightning. My deepest condolences to the affected families. An ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh will be given immediately to the next of kin of all the deceased."

He also urged people to stay at home during thunderstorms in order to stay safe.

"There is an appeal to the people to take full vigil in bad weather and follow the suggestions issued by the Disaster Management Department from time to time to prevent deaths during thunderstorms. Stay at home and stay safe in bad weather," he tweeted.

Bihar has been recording among the highest number of deaths in the country due to lightning strikes. According to India's second annual Lightning Report, Bihar has reported the most deaths due to lightning between April 1, 2020- March 31, 2021 (401 deaths), followed by Uttar Pradesh ( 238 deaths), Madhya Pradesh (228), Odisha (156), and Jharkhand (132), respectively.

Other states reported less than 100 deaths in the same period, as per the report.

Also read: WATCH: Lightning strikes tree during storm