• A study published in Environment, Development, and Sustainability, conducted by researchers in India and internationally led by the Department of Geography at Fakir Mohan University, Odisha, analyzed data to realize that lightning strikes increased in India from 2010 to 2020.

• Data from the National Crime Records Bureau found 1,01,309 deaths attributed to lightning since 1967. 

• Out of these, a third, i.e., 29,804, took place between 2010-2020, with 71,505 deaths registered from 1967 till 2010. 

• Meanwhile, average deaths per state and Union Territory increased from 38 in 1967-2010 to 61 in 2010-2020.

• Central India accounted for nearly 50% (50,884) of these deaths.

• The authors implicated environmental degradation, climate change, high population exposure, socioeconomic factors, etc., for the rise in lightning strikes.

• The authors encouraged early warning systems, greater research, and community engagement as methods to combat this rise.

Click here to read more.