Natural forces like lightning, heat stroke killed 6,444 in 2023: NCRB report

According to the NCRB report, snakebites resulted in 10,144 deaths, a 0.6 per cent increase from the 10,085 deaths recorded in 2022. Meanwhile, 1,739 people were killed by animals and 1,172 due to animal, reptiles (other than snakes) or insect bites, the report noted.

While the overall number of deaths due to ‘forces of nature’ declined by 20 per cent compared to 2022 figures, deaths caused by heat stroke and cold exposure rose by 10 per cent and 1.8 per cent, respectively.

Odisha recorded 1,351 deaths, the highest due to ‘forces of nature’, followed by 852 in Uttar Pradesh, 789 in Madhya Pradesh, 679 in Bihar, 401 in Jharkhand and 312 in Maharashtra.

Lightning deaths highest in Madhya Pradesh

According to the report, Madhya Pradesh (397), Bihar (345), Odisha (294), Uttar Pradesh (287), and Jharkhand (194) accounted for a high share of lightning deaths. Studies have shown in the past that the plains area of the Indo-Gangetic belt, as well as Madhya Pradesh, are prone to thunderstorms and lightning activity. Warm, dry air from the north-west converges with moist air from the Bay of Bengal, leading to the formation of deep convective clouds.

A majority (63.6 per cent) of the victims who died due to accidents caused by forces of nature belonged to the age-group of 30-45 years (34.8 per cent) and 45-60 years (28.8 per cent) together, the report added.

The highest proportion of deaths related to heat or sunstroke occurred in Telangana. Among the 137 deaths it recorded due to forces of nature,, 85, or 62 per cent, were due to heat or sunstroke. Landslides accounted for the highest proportion of deaths in hill states such as Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Meghalaya.

In 53 cities, 602 deaths were attributed to natural forces in 2023, the report noted, with heat and cold exposure accounting for 21.1 per cent and 19.6 per cent of these, respectively.

Amritsar saw 51 deaths, the highest, due to cold exposure, followed by 22 deaths in Ludhiana and 15 in Kanpur. Amritsar also recorded the highest, 56, due to heat, followed by 20 in Ludhiana and 11 in Dhanbad.

India witnessed a prolonged heatwave in 2023 in the northern, eastern and north-west regions. In June 2023, Ballia and Deoria in Uttar Pradesh recorded over 150 deaths due to an intense heat wave, The Indian Express reported.