Five persons, including a minor schoolgirl, were killed and one injured after lightning struck them in separate areas of Pabna district on Friday afternoon.
The deceased were identified as Abdul Mannan, 50, Abdus Salam, 50, and Ansar Mallik, 48, all from the Agbagshoa village Natun Varenga union at Bera upazila; and Nasima Khatun, 12, of Char Buramara village of the same upazila and Shamim Ahmed, 32, of the Noubaria Maddhyapara village at Bhangura upazila.
At Bera upazila, four farmers were harvesting peanuts in the char area of the Agbagshoa village when a lightning bolt hit them. The on duty doctors declared Abdul Manna, Salam and Ansar dead after all of them were taken to the Upazila Health Complex.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Bera police station Shaahid Mahmud confirmed the matter. The OC said that Ershad Molla, 26, was still receiving treatment in the hospital.
Police sources confirmed another death of the seventh grader Nasima at Char Buramara village when she was also harvesting peanuts.
At Bhangura upazila, Shamim went to fishing with a current net at Atharobaria Bil (marsh) and was struck by lightning in the thunderstorm. Locals rescued the severely injured Shamim and he was taken to a local hospital where the on duty doctors declared him dead. OC of Bhangura police station Masud Rana confirmed the matter.
