Authorities say 15 people in northeastern Nigeria have died from lightning strikes after strong thunderstorms swept through the region's rural pasturelands.

A spokesman for Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency said Wednesday the deaths occured in Gombe and Yobe states, killing eight men, four women and three children Tuesday.

Nigeria is experiencing its annual rainy season, with storms sweeping through its tropical south and arid north. Floods already are affecting the country, causing some drowning deaths.

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