Patna, June 22: Lightning strikes killed 56 people across 19 districts of Bihar yesterday, prompting the disaster management department to contact the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The state government today announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each for the families of the deceased.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar asked the district magistrates and the superintendents of police in all districts to ensure that the families affected by lightning get proper help and those living in the rural areas be made aware of the precautions to be taken during such disasters.

"We have contacted the IMD to find out why Bihar is getting struck by lightning so many times," said disaster management department principal secretary Vyasji. "The IMD has no definite answer as of now. We have also contacted the National Institute of Disaster Management in Delhi. The fact remains that lightning can strike anywhere and there are no specific dos and don'ts to protect oneself."

Patna Met director Ashish Sen told The Telegraph that so many lightning strikes were alarming and surprising.

"We are trying to figure out why this is happening," he said. "There has not been any major storm in Bihar. It will take us around two to three months to find an answer because the country does not have a cloud monitoring system. The device is very costly and is available only in some developed nations. There is going to be moderate to heavy rainfall in different districts in Bihar in the next three days." 

Many parts of Bihar have been witnessing rainfall since Tuesday.

"So many deaths are shocking indeed," said an official at the disaster management department. "The lightning cracked a road in Naubatpur, on the outskirts of Patna yesterday. We are putting in maximum effort to take precautions."

According to some National Institute of Disaster Management directives, all district administration officials have been asked to use their resources to help people living in rural areas.

"Some precautions that people can take are staying indoors, not standing against a wall, keeping electrical devices switched off, keeping an eye on the weather at all times, never to seek shelter under a tree, not lying down on the ground, staying away from mobile phones and others," said Vyasji.

He added: "The authorities have been asked to spread the message. The police have also been asked to help. The department is working round the clock and doing all it can to alert people."