Dhaka, Jul 13 ( UNI) At least 14 people were killed and in separate lightning incidents in districts of Pabna, Mymensingh, Netrakona, Sunamganj, Chuadanga, and Rajshahi in Bangladesh on Saturday.
In Pabna, at least four people including three of a family died by a lightning strike in Bera upazila in he afternoon.
The deceased were identified as Motaleb Sardar, 55, his two sons Farid Sardar, 22, Sarif Sardar, 18, and Raham Ali, 50, of Pachuria village, said Bera Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Asif Anam Siddiquee.
They died on the spot after a thunderbolt hit them while they were processing rotten jute in a field near Pachuria primary school of the village around 1230 hrs, he added.
In Mymensingh, three people were killed and another was injured in separate lightning strikes in Phulbaria and Phulpur upazila.
Chaito Bormon, 22, a fisherman, died on the spot after a lightning struck him while catching fish at a nearby waterbody around 1430 hrs, said Firoz Talukder, officer-in- charge of Phulbaria Police Station.
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 1200 hrs, added the OC.
In Chuadanga, three labours died on the spot after a thunderbolt struck them while they were loading banana on a Dhaka-bound truck in Alamdanga upazila town around 1630 hrs, Munshi Asaduzzaman, officer-in-charge of Alamdanga Police Station said.
The victims were identified as Al Amin, 30, Huda Mia, 32, and Hamidul Islam ,30, hailing from Kalaidanga village in Sadar upazila of Meherpur.
In Sunamganj, a man and his son were struck by lightning at Tahirpur upazila of Sunamganj district in the morning.
The deceased were identified as Haridul, 47, and his son Tara Mia, 12, resident of Maniktila village of Dokhin Shripur union of the upazila.
Tahirpur police station OC Md Atikur Rahman said the thunderbolt struck them at around 0900 hrs when they were catching fish in a nearby haor. Haridul and Tara were taken to Tahirpur Sadar Hospital, where the duty doctors declared them dead.
In Netrokona, a farmer was struck by lightning in Kalmakanda upazila in the morning. The deceased farmer Enamul Hoque, 22, was struck while he was grazing his cow near his house around 1000 hrs.
Locals immediately took him to the Upazila Health Complex, where the on-call doctor declared him dead, said Rangchhati Union Member Mozzamel Hoque.
In Rajshahi, a farmer was killed on the spot by lightning, while working in the field at Benipur village in Godagari upazila in the afternoon. The deceased was identified as Durul Huda, (55).
There has been an increase in number of deaths from lightning strikes. Data compiled by a non-government organisation showed that at least 126 people were killed by lightning strikes across Bangladesh in May and June this year.
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.
UNI MAZ AVK 2259