Lightning kills 34 in India amid monsoon storms

Lightning has taken at least 34 lives across southeastern India amid persisting strong monsoon storms.

Twenty-two victims lost their lives in Andhra Pradesh State on Sunday, according to a report by the DPA.

They were “mostly farmers or homeless who were outdoors,” the report quoted a local disaster management official as saying.

Another 12 were killed in the neighboring state of Orissa on the same day.

Two state-level women’s cricket teams had a narrow escape when lightning struck a stadium in Andhra Pradesh, prompting the game to be called off.

“It was a miraculous escape for our players as well as the staff,” a cricket official told the Times of India newspaper.

Storms and lightning claim numerous lives during India’s rainy season from June to September.