At least 26 killed due to lightning strikes in Bangladesh

At least 26 killed due to lightning strikes in Bangladesh

2011-05-24 00:19:51 GMT+7 (ICT)

DHAKA, BANGLADESH (BNO NEWS) -- Authorities on Monday announced that at least 26 people were killed due to lightning strikes caused by thunderstorms across Bangladesh, bdnews24 reported.

The deaths were registered in eleven districts throughout Bangladesh, but the heaviest hit by the storms were the northwestern region of the country. In addition, many more were injured as well.

Most of the victims were hit by lightning between 6:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. local time while people were collecting fruits or working on their crop fields. The heavy rains continued throughout the morning.

The affected districts were Chapainawabganj, Pabna, Joypurhat, Rajshahi, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Naogaon, Manikganj, Gopalganj, Khulna and Khagrachharhi. The most fatalities took place in Chapainawabganj.

At least ten people were killed and another wounded when lightning fell in Shibganj, Nachol and Gomastapur towns, Chapainawabganj district. In Sardar, two students were struck by lightning while collecting mangoes, one of them died.

The Shibaloy police informed that six people were killed in the sub-district and two others died in the neighboring Gomastapur. In Faridpur, lightning killed two people and left 16 more injured.

The Puthia Police Station in Rajshahi informed that four people, including a 10-year-old boy, were killed in the area. In Sundarganj, Gaibandha, a six-year-old boy was fatally struck and eight others injured.

In Pabna, two people died and 17 others were injured at Paspungali village. The storm also damaged hundreds of houses in Natore and Singra. In addition, electricity was disrupted and the towns' infrastructure damaged.

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