NEW DELHI: Police said most of the fatalities occurred in the Giridih district, where many victims were farm workers who were working in open fields when thunderstorms struck.
The lightning strikes on Tuesday, which are common during seasonal storms, also injured at least seven people, according to police.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast widespread rainfall in Jharkhand over the coming days, raising concerns over further weather-related risks.
Jharkhand has previously recorded a high number of lightning-related deaths, with more than 200 fatalities reported in January 2025, many of them linked to thunderstorms.
Elsewhere in India, heavy monsoon rains have caused severe flooding and landslides. In the northeastern state of Assam, nearly 90 people have died due to flooding this year, while 15 people were killed in the southern state of Kerala, where thousands of residents were displaced by heavy rainfall.