# Lightning and rain incidents kill at least 25 across India as early monsoon storms spread
Standfirst: Officials and local media said severe storms, lightning and rain-related accidents killed at least 25 people across several Indian states over the past 24 hours on the event date of 2025-06-15.
Severe weather cut a deadly path across parts of India, with lightning, heavy rain and storm-related accidents leaving at least 25 people dead in the space of a day, according to reporting from India Today. The incidents were spread across Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Delhi, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh, underscoring how quickly early monsoon weather can turn lethal when thunderstorms arrive with little warning.
Most of the deaths were attributed to lightning strikes. In Uttar Pradesh, people were killed in multiple districts, including Ballia, Bijnor, Auraiya and Sambhal. One 13-year-old girl died in Ballia after being struck by lightning, while two others were injured and taken to hospital. In Bijnor, three people died, including two who were struck by lightning and a young girl who drowned in a drain swollen by rainwater. In Auraiya, lightning killed three people, including a 16-year-old, and injured two others. In Sambhal, lightning hit six people as they were harvesting crops, leaving one teenage girl dead and others with serious burns.
Authorities also reported deaths and damage outside Uttar Pradesh. In Rajkot, Gujarat, one person died and 14 goats were electrocuted amid intense thunder and rain. In Delhi, strong winds and heavy rain brought down a 100-foot mobile tower in Safdarjung Enclave, while in RK Puram a falling tree struck a power line and killed two men. Maharashtra recorded at least eight deaths, largely from lightning, with Ratnagiri, Raigad and Sindhudurg among the worst-hit areas. The state disaster management report cited 88.1 mm of rainfall in Ratnagiri, the highest in Maharashtra over the previous 24 hours.
The scale of the damage was still being assessed, but the pattern was clear: fast-moving storms and lightning were the main hazards, and many of the victims were caught outdoors or in exposed places. In its report, India Today said the India Meteorological Department had issued warnings for parts of Himachal Pradesh, where thunderstorms, lightning and winds of 40–60 km/h were expected across several districts.
The deaths add to a familiar seasonal risk in India, where lightning is one of the deadliest weather hazards during the monsoon and pre-monsoon periods. In this case, the impact was made worse by flooding, rain-soaked ground and sudden electrical hazards from fallen trees, collapsed infrastructure and exposed work sites. Officials urged medical care and compensation in the worst-affected districts while emergency teams responded to the storm damage.
The event date was 2025-06-15.
