Lightning kills 7 in 4 dists

Lightning strikes killed at least seven people in Chuadanga, Jhenaidah, Bagerhat, and Gaibandha districts on Saturday. More than 18 others were injured by thunderbolts in the districts. Most of the victims were farmers. In Jhenidah, lightning strike killed two farmers – Saidur Rahman, 23, and Aynal Molla, 40 – while they were working in a field in Maheshpur and Kotchandpur Upazilas. Apart from them, eight others have been reportedly injured in lightning in Shailkupa, Maheshpur and Harinakundu Upazilas. Three of the injured have been hospitalised. In Chuadanga, three people lost their lives in separate incidents of lightning strike on Saturday. College student Sader Ali, 24, son of Abul Hashem of Tentulia village and Saidur Rahman, 26, of Kushodanga village of Jibannagar upazila were killed by thunderbolt in the morning. Lightning struck Mandar Ali and his two cows when he went to the courtyard of his house to take the cows to the cowshed amid storm at Nastipur village in Damurhuda upazila in the morning, leaving Mandar and his cows dead on the spot. In Bagerhat’s Chitalmari Upazila, 45-year-old farmer Akram Sheikh died while working in his field. Forty-year-old housewife Amena Begum was struck by lighting while working in her house courtyard in Gaibandha’s Sadar Upazila. On Friday, seven people were killed by lightning in Naogaon. In neighbouring West Bengal state of India, thunderbolt killed at least six people and injured a dozen others on Saturday, according to bdnews24.com.