Some 1,986 people were killed by lightning strikes across the country from 2010 to 2017, with 32% of the deaths reported in May alone, according to a study.
Dr MA Farukh, a professor of environmental science at Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymensingh, conducted the research.
“There is a correlation between thunderbolts and temperatures. There remain humid and warm temperatures 5,000-6,000 meters above the level of Bangladesh’s atmosphere every year since late April to the third week of May. This is why lightning strikes increase during May.”
According to media reports, at least 124 people were killed from April 29 to May 11 this year. Lightning bolts are likely to increase in the coming weeks, the researcher forecast.
A lack of trees that can withstand lightning bolts and the rise in use of metal substances are contributing to lightning deaths, according to experts.
In the past, farmers used manual equipment to cultivate their land and grow crops. But with the rapid proliferation of technology, they are now increasingly using advanced farm machinery, which too contributes to the increase in lightning deaths, they added.
The government declared thunderbolt a natural disaster after 57 people were killed by lightning strikes in only two days in May 2016.
