Bangladesh Hit By Lightning Strikes Again, 22 People Killed

About 200 people in Bangladesh were killed by lightning strikes last year. It struck again as 22 people were hit by lightning in the same region in the last 48 hours.

Experts said that climate change has aggravated the problem. They also attributed it to deforestation and the loss of taller trees such as palms that serve as lightning conductors. The experts believed that the death toll could be higher as some are unreported, according to Phys.org.

Among those who were hit by lightning strikes in the last 48 hours were a couple and their young daughter. They were working on their peanut farm when they were hit by a lightning.

The disaster officials are now looking for ways to prevent the death toll from lightning strikes. They are also planning to plant a million palm trees. The meteorological department had also trained about 20,000 students on how to avoid being hit by lightning.

Meanwhile, the intense storms that hit Bangladesh since last week had triggered floods and landslides. This led to casualties such as increasing death toll and unsheltered people. There are about 4,500 people that were remained lodged in 50 shelters in southeastern Bangladesh. The death toll has reached up to 170, according to First Post.

The worst-affected district is the Rangamati, in which 116 bodies were recovered and about four missing persons believed to be dead. There are also many evacuees looking for shelters, and authorities have opened two new shelters, according to Deputy Commissioner Manzurul Mannan.

The Commissioner also added that the evacuees had enough supplies of food and other goods. They had already received about 2,100 packets that contained 30 kg of rice each.

It is reported that Bangladesh, described as the "Country of Bengal" and located in South Asia, is always experiencing heavy storms, floods and landslides every year during rainy season. However, this rainy season is the worst since 2007.