Nine people were killed and six others were injured by lightning in Ullapara upazila of Sirajganj on Thursday.
The deceased are Shah Alam, 40, Abdul Kuddus, 60, Ritu Khan, 14, Mobakhar Hossain, 40, Monaf Hossain, 18, Shamsher Ali, 60, his son Shahin, 21, and his brother Afsar Ali, 63, and Jannati, 12.
The injured were taken to an area hospital for treatment.
They were working in a field when the incident occurred.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ujjal Hossain said the families of every deceased would get Tk25,000.
Amid concern about increasing incidents of lightning strikes, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department has recommended nine tips to stay safe from lightning strikes.
The nine tips are:
1) Take shelter under a nearby concrete house. If there is frequent lightning, do not stay in any open or on a high place.
2) Stay away from trees and electric poles as there is a high possibility of lightning strikes on high trees or electric poles. Passenger sheds are also unsafe.
3) Do not stay close to windows at home when there is lightning. Keep windows closed and stay inside the house.
4) Avoid metallic objects. Do not touch metal, stair railing, metal pipes, etc during lightning. Do not touch landline telephones as many people get injured that way.
5) Avoid touching all connected electric appliances, including TV and fridge. Do not touch TVs, refrigerators, etc. If lightning starts, disconnect all plugs from electric lines.
6) If you are in a car during lightning, try to return home as fast as possible. If there is heavy thunderstorms and rain, take the car under any shed. Touching the window panes can be dangerous at that time.
7) Waterlogging is very common in the rainy season and the logged water can be electrified by snapped electric lines. So it is better to stay home during lightning.
8) Walking barefoot or using wet leather shoes during lightning is very dangerous. Rubber gumboots will be the safest thing.
9) Remain alert on the road during lightning. Avoid the spots where the tendency of lightning is high. If someone gets injured, try to take them to hospital quickly.
