Sky turns deadly over Bangladesh as lightning strikes kill 14

At least 14 people were killed after lightning strikes hit multiple regions of Bangladesh, officials confirmed on April 27, as seasonal thunderstorms moved across the country.

The fatalities were reported from several districts after sudden storms brought heavy rainfall accompanied by powerful lightning activity, according to Reuters.

Most of those killed were farmers working in open fields, along with labourers who were caught outdoors in exposed conditions.

Several others were injured and transported to nearby hospitals, with some reported to be in critical condition.

Lightning claims hundreds of lives annually in Bangladesh, which officially classified lightning strikes as a natural disaster in 2016 after more than 200 deaths occurred in May alone, including 82 fatalities in a single day.

Experts attribute the increasing number of deadly strikes to deforestation, which has reduced the number of tall trees that once helped reduce lightning risk for people on the ground.

Such incidents are most common during the pre-monsoon period from April to June, when rising heat and humidity create highly unstable weather conditions.

By Jeyhun Aghazada