India lightning strikes leave 74 dead

Lightning strikes from Monsoon storms have killed 74 people and scores of cattle in India.

The majority of deaths took place in the eastern state of Bihar, where 57 people died. Ten people were killed by lightning in neighbouring Jharkhand state, six in northern Uttar Pradesh state, and another in Maharashtra.

At least 24 other people have been injured by thunderstorms and monsoon rains during the past 24 hours across northern and eastern India.

The majority of the victims were farm labourers working in the fields, including at least eight shepherds watching their sheep.

A disaster management official said that the death toll was expected to rise as reports come in from remote parts of the state.

At least 2,000 people have died in lightning strikes in India every year since 2005, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.

India's monsoon season runs from June to September.