Chapainawabganj Correspondent: Dhaka, Aug-04,

Seventeen people, including five women, were killed and six others injured in a lightning strike at Telikharighat in Shibganj upazila of Chapainawabganj district on Wednesday. 

The deceased could not yet be identified.  

Shibganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Shakib Al Rabbi said the lightning struck a group of people when they had taken shelter under a shed during rains around 12 pm, killing 17 of them.  

They met the tragic end of their lives while heading towards Paka union to attend a wedding ceremony.

Lightning strikes in Bangladesh

Lightning strike has turned into one of the deadliest natural disasters in Bangladesh claiming over 200 lives every year due to the loss of natural defence and lack of precautionary measures. 

According to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, 2,164 people died in lightning strikes in the country from 2011 to 2020.

At least 216 people die every year on average in lightning strikes, more than by floods, cyclones and other natural calamities. 

Experts said about 70 percent of the total lightning strikes usually occur between April and June, and advise everyone to move with caution during this time.  

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