As many as 14 people have been killed as lightning struck them at different parts of the country.
Deaths by lightning have been reported from Pabna, Mymensingh, Chuadanga, Sunamganj, Rajshahi, and Netrokona on Saturday (Jul 13).
In Pabna, four people, including three of a family, have been killed as lightning struck them in Pachuria village of the district’s Bera Upazila.
The deceased have been identified as Motaleb Hossain, 50, his sons Fakir Sardar, 20, and Sharif Sardar, 18, and Raham Ali, 55. All of them were farmers of the village.
Bera Upazila Nirbahi Officer Asif Anam Siddiki told Bangla Tribune that they were struck by lightning while cleaning jute in a drain near Pachuria school playground at noon.
All four were killed on the spot, he added.
In Mymensingh, three people were killed and another was injured in separate lightning strikes in Phulbaria and Phulpur upazila, our Netrakona Correspondent adds.
Chaito Bormon, 22, a fisherman, died on the spot after lightning struck him while catching fish at a nearby waterbody around 2.30pm, said Phulbaria police OC Firoz Talukder.
Monu Bormon, 25, elder brother of the victim, who sustained injuries during the strike, was given first aid, the OC added.
A youth, Sohagh Mia, 22, son of Abdul Mazid of Baula area in Phulpur was killed in another lightning strike in Phulpur upazila around 2.00pm, said Imarat Hossain Gazi, officer-in-charge of Phulpur police station.
Another lightning struck a farmer, Jamal Uddin, 40, leaving him dead on the spot while he was working at his seed beds at Poyari village in the same upazila around 12.00pm, added the OC.
In Chuadanga, three day-labourers were killed and four others injured after being struck by lightning at Khord village in Alamdanga upazila on Saturday news agency UNB reports.
The deceased have been identified as Al-Amin, 30, son of Makbul Hossain, Huda, 32, son of Golam Rasul, and Hamidul Islam, 30, son of Barkat Ali of Kalaidanga village in Meherpur Sadar upazila.
A group of labourers were loading bananas on a truck during rain when seven of them were injured after being struck by a lightning around 3:30pm, UNB quoted Alamdanga police OC Asaduzzaman as saying.
They were taken to the state-owned hospital in the district town where doctors pronounced three of them dead.
In Sunamganj, a man and his son have been killed as they were struck by lightning.
The incident was reported from Manik Tila village of the district’s Tahirpur Upazila.
The deceased have been identified as Haridul Mia, 42, and his son Tara Mia, 12.
Quoting locals, police said they lightning struck them when they were fishing in Kanamoyar haor (water body) during thunderstorm.
They died on the spot, he added.
Local administration, however, provided the deceased’s family with Tk 25,000 as immediate compensation.
In Rajshahi, a farmer was killed while working in the field at Benipur village in Charghat upazila, reports UNB.
The deceased has identified as Durul Huda, 55, of the village.
Matikata Union Parishad Chairman Md Ali Azam said Durul was struck by lightning when he was planting paddy around 3pm. He was killed on the spot.
In Netrokona, lightning killed a farmer in Sannaysipara village of the district’s Kalmakanda Upazila.
The deceased has been identified as Enamul Haque, 22,
Local Union Parishand member Mozammael Haque told Bangla Tribune that Haque sustained critical injuries after lightning struck him while grazing cattle in a field near to his home.
He was rushed to local health complex where doctor pronounced him dead, Mozammael added.
There has been an increase in number of deaths from lightning strikes. Data compiled by a non-government organization showed that at least 126 people were killed by lightning strikes across Bangladesh in May and June this year, reports UNB.
It is a conservative estimate since the information was collected from a number of local and national newspapers, some online portals and televisions.
The victims included 21 women, seven children and 98 men. Most of them were killed while fishing or bringing cattle back home from the field.
Fifty-three people were also injured in lightning strikes during this period.
(Bangla Tribune correspondents from Pabna, Sunamganj, and Netrokona added inputs into the report.)