A farmer was killed in a lightning strike at Kamarkona village in Pakundia upazila in Kishoreganj district Saturday noon.

Deen Islam, son of Abdul Aowal of the village, was planting paddy on the land near his house when it suddenly started raining. At one point Deen was struck by lightning.

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Locals took him to Pakundia Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared him dead on arrival, said Mohammad Sarwar Jahan, officer-in-charge of Pakundia Police Station.

Lightning strikes in Bangladesh

Lightning strikes have turned into one of the deadliest natural disasters in Bangladesh claiming over 200 lives each year due to the loss of natural defenses and lack of precautionary measures, say experts.

They blame deforestation, worsening air pollution and global warming, climate variability, and the growing use of mobile and other technological devices for the increase in the frequency of lightning strikes.

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According to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, 2,164 people died in lightning strikes in the country from 2011 to 2020. Considering the upward trend, the government in 2016 declared it as a natural disaster, making victims' families eligible for compensation.

About 70 percent of the total lightning strikes usually occur between April and June, and farmers like Deen Islam happen to be the most frequent victims, due to the long periods they spend outdoors working in their fields.