lightning
Eighteen people were killed by lightning in a little over a month, from April 1 to May 17, according to the Department of Disaster Management (DDM).

Among the victims were 14 males and four females. Five other people were injured in the pre-monsoon weather disturbances, the department said.

Among the places most affected by thunderstorms were Ayeyarwady and Bago regions, it added.

"Thunderstorms and lightning mostly happen in May and September. Last year there were up to 100 thunderstorms, which usually occur in the afternoon," said U Kyaw Lwin Oo, director of the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH).

"People should obey the suggested measures of the Department of Disaster Management to protect themselves from the dangers of thunderstorms," said U Kyaw Lwin Oo, director of the DMH.

"People can easily know and avoid thunderstorms by listening to the thunder and watching the cumulonimbus clouds," he added.

The agency has provided K56.50 million (US$41,800) for people who were killed and injured during thunderstorms, the DDM said.

U Kyaw Moe Oo, general director of the DMH, said that while thunderstorms usually happen during pre-monsoon season, they also occur now during the post-monsoon and even during the monsoon. Thunderstorms were rarely taken as seriously as they are taken today.

Deaths from lightning strikes were highest in Ayeyarwady, Bago, Tanintharyi, Magwe, Mandalay, Yangon and Shan State.

Last year, over 100 people were killed and more than 30 others injured by lightning strikes.

Ayeyarwady and Bago had the highest number of deaths because these are located on the plains, said U Kyaw Moe Oo.