BANGLADESH

At least 10 people were killed and several others injured in storms and lightning strikes triggered by pre-monsoon rains at different parts of the country from Tuesday night to Wednesday afternoon.

According to reports, four people were killed in lightning strikes in Bagerhat, Kishoreganj and Habiganj districts on Wednesday while six died in house-collapse incidents as a Nor'wester lashed Thakurgaon and Dinajpur districts on Tuesday night.

In Thakurgaon, five people were killed and over 50 injured as the Nor'wester swept through Pirganj upazila.

Pirganj upazila executive officer (UNO) Abdur Rouf told that the storm hit the upazila around 7:30pm and continued for 30 minutes.

The deceased were identified as Abdul Halim (26), son of Sohrab Ali, Rina Akther (7), daughter of Yousuf Ali, and 'Sakibul' (9), son of Mohasin Ali of Jagannathpur village under Boirchuna union, and Sharifunnessa (70), wife of late Shakir Mohammad of Hazipara village, and Halima Banu (50) of Chandaria village under Jabarhat union.

Of the injured, 27 were admitted to Dinajpur and Rangpur medical college hospitals.

The Nor'wester damaged at least 5,000 houses and crops on a vast tract of land, the UNO said adding that at least 25 villages of Boirchuna and Jabarhat unions were badly affected by the storm. A large number of trees and electric poles also got uprooted.

In Dinajpur, Rezia Begum (40), wife of Moksed Ali of Barapukuria area of Parbatipur upazila, died instantly as a wall of her house collapsed on her during the storm.

In Bagerhat, a college student was killed in lightning strike at Nalua village of Chitalmari upazila on Wednesday around 1:30pm. A thunderbolt struck Ramjan Sheikh (20), son of Amjad Sheikh, of the village when he was collecting fallen mangoes.

In Kishoreganj, two people died in lightning strikes at the district's Tarail and Karimganj upazilas when they were working in the fields at noon.

The deceased were identified as Bassu Mia (60) of Mougaon village under Tarail upazila and Kajal Chandra Debnath (35) of Panahar village under Karimganj upazila.

In Habiganj, one was killed and six more injured as a thunderbolt struck them while working on a cropland at Jatradighi in Baniachang Haor area on Wednesday noon.

Officer-in-charge of the Baniachang Police Station Nirmalendu Chakrabarti told that the injured were rushed to Habiganj Sadar Modern Hospital where doctors pronounced Imran Mia (16), son of Khasru Mia of Amirkhali village of the upazila, dead.