Lightning kills 126 in two months
Climate change effects and deforestation might have played a role in the deaths of so many people.
At least 126 people were killed after being struck by lightning in May and June this year.
The country’s north-eastern district Kishoreganj witnessed the highest casualties, as 16 people died there during the period.
Apart from Kishoreganj, lightning casualties also occurred in other districts, including Satkhira, Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Sunamganj, Naogaon, Narayanganj, Gazipur and Tangail.
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Climate change effects and deforestation might have played a role in the deaths of so many people, according to a report revealed on Saturday by a research organisation -- Save the Society & Thunderstorm Awareness Forum.
Experts said so many fatalities occurred in the country during these two months, partly because there were not enough trees whose branches would be able to absorb lightning strikes.
They, however, warned that lightning might take more tolls at rural areas -- especially on farmers working in fields -- as the temperature was on the rise.
“If the temperature rises by one degree, lightning may increase by more than 10 percent,” secretary to the research platform Md Rashed Molla said.
In 2016 alone, lightning killed around 350 people across the country.
During the pre-monsoon season, the highest number of lightning incidents in the entire Indian subcontinent takes place in central Bangladesh, with 40 lighting strikes per square kilometre, according to an Indian research.
