Lightning strikes kill at least 14 in Bangladesh amid storms following heat wave

Lightning strikes killed at least 14 people across Bangladesh on Sunday as thunderstorms swept through multiple districts following a prolonged heat wave, according to police and local media.

The deaths were reported in seven districts, including five in northern Gaibandha district.

“Five people, including two children, died in lightning strikes in Gaibandha district,” Muhammad Rakib, a duty police officer at the district control room, told Anadolu.

In separate incidents, two people were killed in northern Thakurgaon district, two in Sirajganj during the first stormy day of the season, and two more in Jamalpur. One person each was killed in Panchagarh, Natore and Bogra districts, according to the Prothom Alo newspaper.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department said isolated rainfall may continue in parts of the country over the coming days, which could ease the ongoing heat wave that has affected much of Bangladesh in recent weeks.

Following more than a week of intense heat, rain accompanied by lightning was reported in Dhaka and in the Rangpur, Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions on Sunday.

The Save the Society and Thunderstorm Awareness Forum, a volunteer organization focused on lightning awareness, said 330 people were killed by lightning in Bangladesh last year.

Most victims are farmers working in open fields without protection, said Kabirul Bashar, the organization’s president and a professor at Jahangirnagar University.

“Farmers should wear safety gear, including plastic boots or long gumboots while working in agricultural fields, particularly during the summer and rainy seasons. Lack of awareness is the main reason behind such big casualties every year,” he told Anadolu.

According to UN data, an average of 300 people die annually from lightning strikes in Bangladesh, with most deaths occurring between April and June. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department has been issuing lightning warnings since last year as casualties continue to rise.