A carpenter was killed by a lightning strike at Charpara in Kishoreganj’s Karimganj upazila in the early hours of Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Tawhid Mia, 36, son of late Shahed Ali of the area. Shamsul Alam Siddique, officer-in-charge (OC) of Karimganj Police Station, said a streak of thunderbolt struck Tawhid while he was working on his cropland. Also Read: More rain, thundershowers likely in parts of the country Later, he was rushed to Karimganj Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared him dead, said the OC.      

A 62-year-old woman died after suffering a cardiac arrest on seeing the dead bodies of a group killed in a lightning strike in Ullapara of Sirajganj. Hosne Ara Khatun was the wife of Shobha Ali Mallik of Mallikpara village in Enayatpur.  Ujjal Hossain, upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) of Ullapara confirmed the matter to UNB and said that nine agricultural workers were killed by a lightning strike while working on a paddy field in Matikora village of Panchkroshi union of the upazila on Thursday afternoon. Among the victims, five of them were from the same family of Shibpur village in the municipal area. When the bodies were brought to their home in Shivpur village, hundreds of men and women from different areas gathered to see them. Hosne Ara Khatun also went to see the bodies. Seeing the bodies affected her badly, and on her way back home, she suffered a cardiac arrest.  She was eventually rushed to a nearby hospital where the doctors declared her dead, added the UNO. Earlier, lightning strike killed nine agricultural workers and injured four others in Sirajganj's Ullapara upazila Thursday, according to police. Read: Lightning strike kill 9 men at work in Sirajganj Eight of the deceased were identified as Md Mobarak, 40, Monnaf Hossain, 19, Shamsher Ali, 62, Md Afsar, 63, Md Shahin, 21, Abdul Kuddus, 60, Shah Alam, 42 and Ritu Khatun, 15, Mohammad Mahfuz, assistant superintendent of police (ASP) of Ullapara Circle, said. The workers were planting paddy seedlings when it started to rain heavily, Nazrul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Ullapara Police Station, said. "Then all of them sheltered in a house near the field. Suddenly a streak of lightning struck the men, killing five of them on the spot and leaving others critically injured," Nazrul said. "The locals rushed the injured to different hospitals and clinics where they died while undergoing treatment."

Lightning strike killed nine agricultural workers and injured four others in Sirajganj's Ullapara upazila Thursday, according to police. Eight of the deceased were identified as Md Mobarak, 40, Monnaf Hossain, 19, Shamsher Ali, 62, Md Afsar, 63, Md Shahin, 21, Abdul Kuddus, 60, Shah Alam, 42 and Ritu Khatun, 15, Mohammad Mahfuz, assistant superintendent of police (ASP) of Ullapara Circle, said. The identities of the other deceased could not immediately be confirmed, he added. The workers were planting paddy seedlings when it started to rain heavily, Nazrul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Ullapara Police Station, said. Read: Lightning strikes kill three in Kushtia, Natore "Then all of them sheltered in a house near the field. Suddenly a streak of lightning struck the men, killing five of them on the spot and leaving others critically injured," Nazrul said.   "The locals rushed the injured to different hospitals and clinics where they died while undergoing treatment."

A fisherman was killed after being hit by a thunderbolt at Uttar Bagh Haor in Haripur union of Jaintiapur upazila in the early hours of Monday.The deceased was identified as Abdur Rahim,65, a resident of Uttarbagh village of the upazila. Also read: Lightning kills farmer in DinajpurGolam Dastgir Ahmed, officer-in-charge (OC) of Jaintapur Police Station, said a streak of thunderbolts struck while Rahim was fishing on the Haor of the village during the rain around 12am.Later, he was rushed to the Upazila Health Complex where the doctor declared him dead, said the OC. Also read: Lightning kills two in NatoreThe body was handed over to the family.

A fire set off by a lightning strike at an oil storage facility raged uncontrolled Saturday in the city of Matanzas, where four explosions and flames injured 121 people and left 17 firefighters missing, Cuban authorities said. Firefighters and other specialists were still trying to quell the blaze at the Matanzas Supertanker Base, where the fire began during a thunderstorm Friday night, the Ministry of Energy and Mines tweeted. Authorities said about 800 people were evacuated from the Dubrocq neighborhood closest to the fire, The government said it had asked for help from international experts in “friendly countries” with experience in the oil sector. Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío said the U.S. government had offered technical help to quell the blaze. On his Twitter account, he said the “proposal is in the hands of specialists for the due coordination.” Minutes later, President Miguel Díaz-Canel thanked Mexico , Venezuela, Russia, Nicaragua, Argentina and Chile for their offers of help. The first support flights from Mexico and Venezuela were expected to arrive at Matanzas' airport Saturday night. The official Cuban News Agency said lightning hit one tank, starting a fire, and the blaze later spread to a second tank. As military helicopters flew overhead dropping water on the blaze, dense column of black smoke billowed from the facility and spread westward more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) toward Havana. Read:Supreme Leader acknowledges Iran took Greek oil tankers Roberto de la Torre, head of fire operations in Matanzas, said firefighters were spraying water on intact tanks trying to keep them cool in hopes of preventing the fire from spreading. Cuba's health minister reported late Saturday that 121 people were injured with five of them in critical condition. There were no deaths. The Presidency of the Republic said the 17 people missing were “firefighters who were in the nearest area trying to prevent the spread.” The accident comes as Cuba struggles with fuel shortages. There was no immediate word on how much oil had burned or was in danger at the storage facility, which has eight giant tanks that hold oil used to fuel electricity generating plants. “I was in the gym when I felt the first explosion. A column of smoke and terrible fire rose through the skies,” resident Adiel Gonzalez told The Associated Press by phone. “The city has a strong smell of sulfur.” He said some people also decided to leave the Versailles district, which is a little farther from the tank farm than Dubrocq. Many ambulances, police and fire engines were seen in the streets of Matanzas, a city with about 140,000 inhabitants that is on Matnzas Bay. Local meteorologist Elier Pila showed satellite images of the area with a dense plume of black smoke moving from the point of the fire westward and reaching east to Havana. “That plume can be close to 150 kilometers long,” Pila wrote on his Twitter account.

A 38-year-old farmer died after being struck by lightning in Krishtapur village of Dinajpur's Nababganj upazila on Saturday. The deceased was identified as Robin Saren, son of Babu Ram Soren of the village. Rashedul Kabir Raju, chairman of Golapganj union, said Robin was struck by lightning while working on his farmland this morning. He died on the way to a local hospital. Read: Lightning kills two, injures 7 in Natore Lightning strikes in Bangladesh Lightning strikes have turned into one of the deadliest natural disasters in Bangladesh, claiming over 200 lives every year. At least 216 people die every year on an average in lightning strikes, more than by floods, cyclones and other calamities. More than 70% of the total lightning strikes occur between April and June, say experts.

A husband and wife from Wisconsin celebrating more than five decades of marriage were killed in a lightning strike outside the White House. A third victim was pronounced dead Friday evening, and one other is hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. James Mueller, 76, and Donna Mueller, 75, of Janesville, Wisconsin, died of their injuries after the lightning strike Thursday in Lafayette Park, located directly outside the White House complex, the Metropolitan Police Department said Friday. A third victim, a 29-year-old adult male, was pronounced dead Friday. The fourth person, a woman, was in critical condition, the police department said. Their identities were not immediately released. Authorities did not reveal how the people were injured, other than to say they were critically hurt in the lightning strike. The Muellers were on a trip to Washington, D.C., to celebrate their 56th wedding anniversary, according to their niece, Michelle McNett of Janesville. “They were a very loving couple,” McNett told the Wisconsin State Journal. “They were very, very family oriented. I think everyone’s just in shock right now and kind of request privacy.” The couple had five children, 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, she told the paper. Donna Mueller was a teacher and in retirement worked at the Comfort Shoppe, a local furniture store. Jim, 76, was a retired contractor who had his own drywall business. Read: Lightning kills two in Magura  McNett said she’s not sure why the couple picked the nation’s capital for their vacation, but added that “Donna was a constant learner.” The husband and wife, according to their niece, loved having gatherings and just had a big family gathering a couple of weeks ago. “They were very religious,” she said. “Just the kind of people who would give the shirt off their back to do anything for you, both of them.” Officers with the Secret Service and the U.S. Park Police witnessed the lightning strike Thursday night and ran over to render first aid, officials said. Emergency medical crews were called to the scene just before 7 p.m. and had transported all of the victims to the hospital with “critical, life-threatening injures,” fire department spokesman Vito Maggiolo said. “We are saddened by the tragic loss of life after the lightning strike in Lafayette Park,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “Our hearts are with the families who lost loved ones, and we are praying for those still fighting for their lives.”

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. Read: Lightning kills 19-year-old in city 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. Read: Youth drowns in Padma River 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.  

A 24-year-old man died soon after he learned about death of his elder brother in a lightning strike at Uttar Kachiyara area in Faridganj of Chandpur on Wednesday morning. The elder brother Tariqul Islam Rubel, 26, was struck by lightning inside his fish farm, locals said. Also read:Chandpur: Woman falls off bike as burqa gets stuck in wheel, dies His younger brother Sohel along with locals went to the spot to rescue Rubel. However, seeing his elder brother's body, Sohel suddenly collapsed on the ground. Later, the two were rushed to Faridganj Health Complex where the on-duty doctor declared the siblings dead around 9am, said Md Mozammel Hossain, physician of the health complex. Mohammad Shahid Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Faridganj police station, said the bodies were handed over to police. Also read: Trader's beheaded body found in Chandpur Sohel’s body was handed over to his family as the local people's representative and his relatives confirmed his death as natural, he said. However, Rubel’s body was sent to Chandpur Sadar Hospital morgue for an autopsy, the OC added.

A 15-year-old schoolboy was killed as a thunderbolt struck at Jhinaigati upazila in Sherpur on Friday. The deceased was identified as Sagor Mia, of Surihara village of the upazila. He was a Class VI student of Ahmednagar High School. Read: Lightning kills woman, daughter in Kishoreganj Monirul Alam Bhuiyan, officer-in-charge (OC) of Jhenaigati police station, said a streak of thunderbolt struck while he was fishing on a beel of the village during the rain around 12pm. Later, he was rushed to the Upazila Health Complex where the doctor declared him dead, said the OC.