Lightning strikes kill eight across three Bangladeshi districts

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A series of lightning strikes across three districts in Bangladesh claimed the lives of eight people on Sunday, as heavy storms swept through the region. The casualties included three madrasa students in Narsingdi, three agricultural workers in Dhaka’s Savar, and two farmers in Manikganj.

In Narsingdi’s Monohardi upazila, the tragedy unfolded at the Madinatul Uloom Madrasa and Orphanage during the evening. According to local authorities, four students were performing ablutions for Maghrib prayers when a lightning strike hit the premises. Three students, aged between 14 and 15, were declared dead upon arrival at the Shibpur Upazila Health Complex. A fourth student was injured and subsequently referred to a hospital in Dhaka for specialized treatment. The victims were identified as Jahirul Haq, Abu Raihan, and Abu Jafar, who hailed from Kishoreganj and Mymensingh.

Separately, in the Konda area of Savar, three men were killed while working in a field. Local police reported that the victims—45-year-old landowner Deen Islam and agricultural laborers Dulal and Haq Ali Pramanik—were struck by lightning around 5:00 p.m. Two of the men died instantly at the scene, while Islam succumbed to his injuries while being transported to a medical facility.

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The final incident occurred in Manikganj’s Singair upazila, where two farmers were killed while working in their fields during an evening rainstorm. Kabir Hossain, 30, and Shahidul Islam, 25, were struck by lightning in the village of Kanchannagar. Despite attempts by locals to rush them to a private clinic in Savar, both were pronounced dead by attending physicians.

Law enforcement officials in all three districts have confirmed the incidents and are currently facilitating the return of the bodies to the victims’ families. Police have urged the public to exercise heightened caution and seek immediate shelter during periods of heavy rain and thunderstorm activity to mitigate the risks posed by lightning strikes.