HIGH-SPEED winds and lightning strikes devastated many villages, bringing down walls and leaving dozens injured.

The eastern state of Bihar was the worst hit, with 20 confirmed deaths due to lightning.

The latest incidents come weeks after devastating dust storms killed more than 100 people across northern India.

Lightning strikes are common in India during heavy monsoon rains.

Fifteen people have been killed in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and at least 12 have died in the eastern state of Jharkhand, officials told BBC Hindi.

Three children died after a tree collapsed on them in the northern state of Uttarakhand, according to the PTI news agency.

India’s Meteorological Department told the BBC that temperatures across northern India may touch up to 47 degrees Celsius in the coming weeks, which could lead to more high speed winds and storms in the future. They also warned that electricity could be disrupted across states due to the severe weather.

Many of the dead were sleeping indoors when their houses collapsed after being struck by lightning or gusts of wind.

At least 2,000 people have died in lightning strikes in India every year since 2005, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. (SD-Agencies)