At least 28 people were killed by lightning in India's eastern state of Orissa during monsoon storms, officials said Sunday, according to dpa . Fifty two people have died in a week of flooding in two other eastern states, Bihar and Assam, which brings the total death toll in the region to 80. "The victims [of the lightning strikes] were mostly farmers, who were outdoors sowing paddy in their fields. Some homeless also died," Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra, manging director of the Orissa State Disaster Management Authority, said by phone from state capital Bhubaneshwar. Storms, lightning and floods claim numerous lives during India's monsoon season from June to September. In Bihar and Assam, more than 4 million people have been affected by the floods caused by torrential rains. Soldiers were rescuing villagers from low-lying areas to government shelters. Weather officials have predicted more rains in the eastern region over the next few days.
