lightning
At least eight people were killed and nine others injured in separate incidents of lightning strikes in three districts of Rangpur region on Thursday.

Of them, four were killed in Lalmonirhat, three in Rangpur and the other was killed in Kurigram district.

The deceased in Lalmonirhat were identified as Montu Mia, 32, son of Ramzan Ali of Bejgram area of Hatibandha upazila, Ati Mia, 39, son of Abdul Hamid and Jahedul Islam, 28, son of Khandaker Ali of Islampur village under Patbarbati upazila and Hasan, son of Zahir Uddin of the same village.

Police and locals said some youths went for fishing in Kalibari beel of Tongbhanga union of Hatibandha upazila when Montu Mia and Ati were injured in a lightning strike.

Other villagers rescued them and took to Hatibandha Health Complex, where the doctor on duty declared them dead.

The same incident happened in adjoining Patgram upazila, where victims Hasan and Jahedul went for fishing in Shakoya River and were struck by lightning around 7:00am. Both of them died on the spot, confirmed Hatibandha Police Station officer-in-charge Faruk Hossain.

Meanwhile, three people, including a couple, were killed and three others injured as lightning struck Kawnia area in the afternoon, said Azizul Islam, officer-in-charge of Kawnia Police Station in Rangpur.

The deceased were identified as Amirul Islam, 45, his wife Felani Khatun, 38, of Tapamodhupur village, and Sumon Mia, 32, of Char Balapara village. The injured are undergoing treatment at Kawnia Upazila Health Complex, said Sajedul Islam, a physician at the hospital.

At Kurigram, farmer Anil Chandra Sarker was injured after he was struck by a thunderbolt while taking bath in a pond amid rain at Gorialdhanga village in Rajerhat upazila. He was rushed to Rajerhat Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared him dead, said officer-in-charge Abdul Halim of Rajerhat Police Station.