At least 14 people have died in lightning strikes in different districts of the country. The fatalities occurred in eight districts including Gaibandha, Sirajganj, Jamalpur, Thakurgaon, Natore, Panchagarh and Bogra between Sunday afternoon and evening.
The highest number of fatalities was reported in Gaibandha district, where five people were killed in three upazilas by lightning. Three people were killed in Dakshin Dhopadanga village in Sundarganj upazila. One person was injured and a cow also died in the same incident. In a separate incident, a young man named Manik Hossain was killed while driving a horse-drawn carriage in Fulchhari upazila. Another person named Number Ali died in Saghata upazila.
Two farmers have died in separate incidents in Sirajganj. They were struck by lightning while working in the fields in Raiganj and Tarash upazilas.
Two people, Hasmat Ali Hasu and Marjina Begum, were killed in a lightning strike in Jamalpur. Several others were reported injured. Several cattle also died.
Two people, including a woman, were killed in separate lightning strikes in Pirganj, Thakurgaon. They were working in the fields and checking on their crops when they were struck by lightning.
Local administration and police said that these accidents occurred during sudden Kalbaisakhi storm and heavy rain. The injured are being treated in various areas and the local administration is working to stand by the affected families.
Meteorologists have advised people to avoid open fields, water bodies and under trees during times of risk of lightning. They have urged people to be more vigilant as seasonal instability continues in different parts of the country.