At least 20 people died in the last 48 hours from lightning storms caused by the arrival of the monsoon in the northern Indian state of Bihar, where the situation is expected to worsen in the coming days, according to official sources.

“The death of 20 people in 8 districts of the state due to lightning is tragic”, - Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar tweeted.

Kumar said in a statement that at least 15 of these deaths occurred between Monday evening and Tuesday, and announced compensation of 400,000 rupees (some USD 5,000) for the families of the victims.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of worsening weather conditions in Bihar, with widespread rainfall and isolated thunderstorms until the end of this week.