Dhaka, Apr 28 (UNI) A series of lightning strikes in parts of Bangladesh killed nine people on Monday, media reports said.

Four deaths were reported in different areas of Cumilla district, three in Kishorganj district and one each in Sunamganj and Netrokona districts from dawn until noon on Monday amid heavy rain.

The majority of the lightning fatalities occurred in rural areas where people were working on their farmlands, Xinhua news reported.

Death due to lightning strikes is common in the densely populated South Asian country during this time of a year, as the weather changes from the dry season to the rainy summer season. The Bangladeshi government in 2016 declared it as a national disaster.

A total of 297 people including 242 men and 55 women died due to lightning strikes during the February-September period in 2024, Save the Society and Thunderstorm Awareness Forum (SSTF), a local organization, announced the death toll last October.

Experts claim that the surge in lightning strike deaths is attributable to climate change, which made the country more vulnerable to the impacts.

UNI GNK