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Patna, May 21 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have expressed grief over the death of 33 people in Bihar in a thunderstorm that lashed the state earlier this week.
According to a statement issued by the office of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, altogether 33 people were killed in incidents related to the thunderstorm that began on Thursday afternoon and continued raging for a few hours.
An ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh has been announced to the next of the kin of each deceased.
In his condolatory tweet, the prime minister expressed "deep distress" over the loss of lives, prayed for the "bereaved families" and expressed satisfaction over "relief and rescue work by the local administration, under the state government's supervision".
Shah came out with a tweet expressing similar sentiments.
The deaths have been reported from 16 out of 38 districts of the state.
Bhagalpur has accounted for the maximum number of seven fatalities, followed by Muzaffarpur (six), Saran and Lakhisarai (three each) and Munger and Samastipur (two each).
In addition, one death each has been reported from Nalanda, Begusarai, Khagaria, Jamui, Katihar, Araria, Jehanabad, Purnea, Darbhanga and Banka districts.
