Latest news with #lightning
CBS News
2 hours ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Lightning strikes kill 33 people in a week as India's monsoon season brings powerful storms
New Delhi — At least 33 people were killed and dozens injured by lightning strikes in the eastern Indian state of Bihar this week, officials said Friday. The deaths occurred as powerful storms and monsoon rains battered the state. Most of the deaths were reported on Wednesday and Thursday, when intense storms hit at least 10 districts in Bihar. Most of the victims were agricultural workers, including an elderly man killed by a lightning strike in the Nalanda district while he was out with grazing cattle. Two women were seriously injured in the same place and were being treated for burns. The state government has urged residents to take precautions, including remaining indoors during bad weather. Nitish Kumar, Bihar's Chief Minister, announced government compensation of 4 million Indian rupees (about $4,600) for the families of those killed. The storms and lightning are likely to continue, as monsoon rains are expected to continue for weeks in the region. India's Meteorological Department has predicted light to heavy rainfall in most parts of the southern and northeastern parts of Bihar until at least July 24. Lightning strikes are common during monsoon season in north and eastern India. More than 2,500 people in India are struck by lightning every year, according to government data. In Bihar alone, at least 243 people were killed by lightning strikes last year, and 275 died in 2023. In November 2023, lightning strikes during unseasonal rainfall killed 24 people in the western Indian state of Gujarat. A typical lightning strike packs around 300 million volts of electricity, which is capable of causing instant death or severe burn injuries. Scientists say climate change is leading to increased lightning activity and more intense storms. Rising land and sea surface temperatures mean there is more heat energy to fuel the thunderstorms that causes lightning. A study by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, said lightning strikes in the U.S. could increase by 12% for every degree Celsius rise in average temperature. One person was killed and over a dozen others were injured after being struck by lightning in Jackson Township, New Jersey on Wednesday. India's east and northeast region is also prone to annual flooding that has killed dozens of people and displace hundreds of thousands during monsoon season. The seasonal rains wreaked havoc in southern India last year, too. In July 2024, massive landslides sparked by monsoon rains killed at least 158 people in the southern state of Kerala.
Free Malaysia Today
8 hours ago
- Climate
- Free Malaysia Today
Lightning strikes kill 33 people in eastern India
India's eastern region is prone to annual floods that kill dozens during peak monsoon season. (EPA Images pic) PATNA : Lightning strikes during monsoon storms in eastern India this week killed at least 33 people and injured dozens, officials said today. The deaths in Bihar occurred during fierce storms between Wednesday and yesterday, a state disaster management department statement said, with the victims mostly farmers and labourers working in the open. More heavy rain and lightning are forecast for parts of the state. Bihar state's disaster management minister, Vijay Kumar Mandal, told AFP that officials in vulnerable districts had been directed to 'create awareness to take precautionary steps following an alert on lightning'. The state government announced compensation of 4 million rupees to the families of those killed by lightning. At least 243 died by lightning in 2024 and 275 the year earlier, according to the state government. India's eastern region, including Bihar, is prone to annual floods that kill dozens and displace hundreds of thousands of people during peak monsoon season.
CBS News
19 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
Cinnaminson man dies in Jackson Township, New Jersey, lightning strike at archery range
A 61-year-old man from Cinnaminson, New Jersey, died after being struck by lightning in Jackson Township on Wednesday. Robert Montgomery, of Burlington County, lived with his dogs and loved teaching archery. His neighbors described him as a nice guy. Eduardo Zambrano was stunned to learn that his next-door neighbor of more than 20 years had been killed. "I'm really sad that I won't see him around here anymore," Zambrano said. "He would clean my driveway and I would do the same for him." Montgomery was a volunteer at the Black Knight Bowbenders Archery Range. Montgomery and more than a dozen members of the Jackson Cub Scout Pack 204 were at the range for a competition Wednesday evening when the lightning strike happened with no warning. "It was just the finger of God went and pointed down and hit a tree real close by here, the Earth exploded, dirt went flying everywhere, and when I turned around, there was at least seven people down on the ground flat," said Gene Grodzki, who is also a volunteer and instructor at the range. Grodzki said he ran to get a defibrillator and performed CPR on Montgomery, but Montgomery didn't survive. According to Jackson Township Police, 14 others were hurt. Police said some suffered burns and others reported not feeling well. The youngest victim was only 7 years old. "It was the loudest thing I ever heard in my life and then you could hear things coming out of the trees," Grodzki said. Bob Helle, a former president at the range, said he knew Montgomery personally. "He was a great man, a good volunteer, helped the kids, helped the club you know. I think he's been with this club seven, eight years," Helle said. Understandably, Montgomery's family is still in shock and declined an interview. According to Scouting America, all of the Cub Scouts injured are expected to be OK physically.
CBS News
20 hours ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Deadly lightning strike in New Jersey turned Cub Scout outing into mass chaos, witness says
A deadly lightning strike in Jackson Township, New Jersey, turned a Cub Scout outing into mass chaos Wednesday night, a witness said. Eleven boys and two girls with Cub Scout Troop 204 were getting an archery lesson at the Black Knight Bow Benders club when witnesses say, out of nowhere, a tree was struck by lightning. According to witnesses, it was cloudy at the time, but it wasn't raining and there were no severe weather warnings. Robert Montgomery, a 61-year-old instructor, was killed, and at least 14 others were injured and taken to local hospitals for treatment. According to the National Weather Service, this is the 12th lightning fatality in the United States this year and the second in New Jersey. Ten-year-old Ryan Coopey was among those injured. "I turn around and look, and there's bodies on the ground. Adults, kids, burns, just other parents and kids screaming," father Tom Coopey said. Coopey said troop leaders began performing CPR immediately, saving lives. The impact of the strike knocked Ryan out of his socks and sneakers, which ended up being shredded by the impact, Coopey said. He says his son is now resting as he heals from second-degree burns on his foot. "He's still in shock. Anxiety is still up," he said. Despite this traumatic event, Coopey says Ryan still wants to work his way up to Eagle Scout. According to Scouts of America, all but one of its members were released from the hospital Wednesday night. "Our thoughts and wishes for good health and healing are with all of those involved," the organization said in a statement, in part. Mike Luster, an instructor and 25-year member of Black Knight Bow Benders, said he was closest to the lightning strike. "It was a flash. I thought it was a bomb. And that was it, I was on the ground," he said. "It knocked me to the ground, and I said, what happened? Am I dead? I stood up and looked at my legs, and I thought my legs were blown off." Luster is grateful to have only injured his knee, but his friend and fellow volunteer instructor was killed. "I'm still shaken. I'm still very upset, crying. It should've been me. That was my position," Luster said. "He was a great man, a good volunteer. Helped the kids, helped the club," archery club life member Bob Helle said. Club members who were instructing the children say the strike was so powerful, one person was shot into a tree and the club's treasurer was injured, as well. "He just said he got singed, looks like he got a sun tan. You know, he sounded OK when I just talked to him," Helle said. Witnesses say police and paramedics arrived within minutes. The Cub Scout troop plans to hold a thank you benefit for the first responders who helped in the near future, Coopey said.
New York Times
20 hours ago
- Climate
- New York Times
Archery Club Used to ‘Nasty Storms' Reels From Fatal Lightning Strike
Wednesday night seemed like a normal evening at the Black Knight Bowbenders archery range, a collection of targets and picnic tables nestled among the towering trees of central New Jersey. Archers gathered for practice, their eyes trained on bull's-eyes, while nearby almost two dozen boy scouts huddled for a lesson in the shade. Then a crack of lightning, a deafening boom and a bolt of mayhem as hundreds of millions of volts of electricity coursed through the crowd. The lightning strike in the town of Jackson on Wednesday killed one person and injured at least 13 more, the victims ranging in age from 7 to 61. The area was under thunderstorm warnings at the time. But some local residents interviewed on Thursday said they had been unaware of the announcement, and that there had been little sense of imminent danger. 'It was one of those freak accidents,' Mark Machulsky, the president of the Garden State Archers, the sister club of the Black Knight Bowbenders, said on Thursday. 'There were no storms in the area. It was a cloudy night, humid night,' he said. 'There were no indications at all.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
