Tuesday’s storms and lightning across a swathe of northern India have killed at least 47 people, the latest deaths from freak weather that has battered the Asian country since the beginning of this month.

Disaster management officials in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand states said a combined total of 47 people had died in overnight storms across the region. Bihar was the worst hit, pounded by strong winds and thunderbolts.

“At least 19 people have been confirmed dead. 11 of them due to lightning,” Yoginder Singh, a state disaster management official said.

The wild weather stretched into neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, where winds of up to 70 kilometres per hour swept through India’s most populous state.

“Fifteen people were killed by overnight lightning and high speed winds,” said T.P. Gupta, an official from the Uttar Pradesh disaster management department.

“Another 10 people were injured, some with burns after being struck by lightning,” Gupta added.

Nearly 200 people have died in Uttar Pradesh this month alone as strong winds and sandstorms brought down walls and electricity poles, aided by the fact that many residents in rural India sleep outdoors during the summer to escape the scorching heat.

According to Sushil Kumar, the head of the state’s disaster management department, 13 persons died while another six were injured in Jharkhand, located east of Bihar.