35 killed from lightning in Bangladesh

The death toll from lightning in Bangladesh rose on Friday to 35, including children and women, as thundershowers struck Dhaka and other parts of the country after a week of scorching heat, officials said.

Meteorological office said a much-waited downpour brought with it thundershowers in 14 districts including Dhaka. The lightning that accompanied the seasonal nor’wester storms claimed the highest eight lives in north-western Pabna, five each in neighbouring Sirajganj and Rajshahi districts. Four



persons died in Kishoreganj and Brahmanbarhia each, reports said.

In Dhaka, sudden thunderbolts killed two engineering students when they were playing football in the rain. Seven more deaths were reported from other parts of the country.

“Bangladesh witnesses the seasonal nor’wester storm every year from March to May when the thunderbolts also occur,” meteorologist Hafizur Rahman said adding that the phenomenon appears mostly in north-western Rajsahi and Sylhet regions.