Lightning strikes kill at least 17 at Bangladesh wedding party

At least 17 people were killed when lightning strikes hit a wedding party in northwestern Bangladesh on Wednesday, with several others injured.

"At least 17 to 20 people have been killed in lightning strikes on the bank of Padma River, in Shibganj upazila of Chapainawabganj district. Seven to eight more people got injured from a groom party who had just crossed the river on a boat," Md Farid Hossain from Shibganj police station told the Anadolu Agency.

The group just stepped out the boat in a nearby land on the west bank of Padma to take shelter from lightning strikes. All the 17 passengers were killed on the spot shortly after they took shelter from lightning strikes, the police officer said.

The death toll could rise further, Hossain feared, saying that "villagers took away the dead bodies shortly after the incidents. We are visiting the victim's families to know the details of the deceased and number."

Though the identities of the dead were not known immediately, among them were five women and 12 men. They were going to attend a post-wedding ceremony.

The disaster casualties have seen a rise in the low-lying and densely-populated South Asian nation in recent years. Experts say lack of awareness and protection measures and deforestation among the causes.

According to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, at least 201 deaths occurred in lightning strikes across the country until June this year. Some 247 people were killed in 2020.

Severe storms and lightning are common in Bangladesh during the monsoon season that keeps the country as the third-most lightning-prone region in the world.