At least 14 people were killed after lightning strikes hit several parts of Bangladesh, officials said on Monday, as seasonal thunderstorms swept across seven districts — Gaibandha, Bogura, Natore, Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, Jamalpur, and Sirajganj.
The deaths were reported from several districts after sudden storms brought heavy rain and intense lightning.
Natural Disaster
Most of the victims were farmers working in open fields and labourers caught in exposed areas, local authorities said. Several other people were injured and taken to nearby hospitals, with some in critical condition.
Lightning kills hundreds of people every year in Bangladesh, which declared lightning strikes a natural disaster in 2016 after more than 200 people died in the month of May alone, including 82 people on a single day.
Experts say the rise in fatal lightning strikes is linked to deforestation, which has led to the disappearance of many tall trees that previously helped draw lightning away from people.
Lightning-related fatalities are common during the pre-monsoon months of April to June, when rising heat and humidity create unstable weather conditions.
Instability Due To Heat
The Daily Star, a Bangladeshi newspaper, reported that the heatwave had spread to 24 districts last week, with temperatures fluctuating between 35°C and 40°C. Dhaka’s highest temperature during this period was 36.5°C, which dropped sharply once clouds and rain arrived.
On April 24, the Water Development Board in Sunamganj urged farmers to harvest as much paddy as possible before April 28, citing BMD forecasts of heavy rainfall.
The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) also warned that water levels in the Surma, Kushiyara, Bhugai, Kangsha, Dhanu and Baulai rivers may rise within three days and flow near danger levels.
India too has been witnessing an alarming increase in lightning-related deaths, with over 101,000 fatalities recorded between 1967 and 2020, and a sharp uptick in the last decade, reported the Independent. A study shows an uptick in such fatalities, although increasing awareness and urbanisation are expected to protect more people.
(with inputs from Reuters)
