Agartala, June 11 (IANS) Two people were killed and five others injured in lightning strikes in Tripura Wednesday, officials said.

Narayan Das, 24, and Ajoy Bhattacharjee, 42, were killed on the spot when lightning struck them in Khayerpur area in western Tripura while they were working in their home courtyard.

Official sources said five people suffered burns due to lightning in different places of the mountainous Tripura.

Lightning and thunder with rains, accompanied by high velocity winds, have been lashing Tripura since Tuesday, damaging crops and uprooting electric poles and trees.

At least 15 people have been killed in lightning strikes in the past three weeks.

The four-month-long (June-September) southwest monsoon hit the northeastern region Tuesday and spells of rain followed in most parts of the region, comprising eight states including Sikkim.

According to physicists, the northeastern region is a lightning-prone area due to its topography. Lightning claims an average of 100 lives every year especially in March-May.