Lightning deaths in Bangladesh: Lack of shelters, awareness leaves rural people vulnerable

Lightning strikes have killed at least 11 people, including seven farmers, since yesterday evening (27 April), highlighting a worsening and often overlooked climate threat in Bangladesh.

Among them, at least nine people were killed by lightning strikes in Gaibandha, Bogura, Thakurgaon, Sirajganj, and Natore districts on Sunday (26 April).

Besides, two farmers were killed in separate lightning strikes in Sunamganj Sadar upazila on Monday afternoon while harvesting paddy in haor areas, and three more people were injured in Shantiganj upazila.

Experts say the rising death toll is closely linked to climate change, which is intensifying storm patterns and increasing the frequency of lightning strikes across the country.

Data compiled by the Save the Society and Thunderstorm Awareness Forum (SSTF) show that 297 people - 242 men and 55 women - died from lightning between February and September in 2024.

In an earlier period, from April 2022 to 3 May, 2023, at least 340 people were killed.

Bangladesh, long vulnerable to extreme weather, records an average of around 300 lightning-related deaths annually, according to UN estimates.

By contrast, the United States - with nearly double Bangladesh's population - reports fewer than 20 such deaths each year.

In the 1990s, annual fatalities in Bangladesh were only in the dozens, indicating a sharp upward trend over the decades.

Scientists and agencies, including Nasa and the United Nations, attribute the increase to heightened atmospheric instability driven by global warming, leading to more frequent and intense thunderstorms.

Recognising the growing danger, the government included lightning strikes in the official list of natural disasters in 2016, alongside floods, cyclones, earthquakes, and droughts, but the death toll from lightning keeps rising, apparently due to inadequate government measures and a lack of public awareness.

Farmers most at risk

A majority of lightning victims are farmers, who spend long hours in open fields during the monsoon - the peak lightning season.

With limited access to safe shelters, they are particularly exposed when sudden storms develop.

In the low-lying areas of Sunamganj in the north-eastern Sylhet Division, vast haors and wetlands sustain local livelihoods - but they also leave communities dangerously exposed to lightning strikes.

As climate change intensifies extreme weather, frequent thunderstorms have made lightning an increasingly deadly threat across these open landscapes.

The government is ramping up efforts to curb lightning deaths through early warnings, plantation drives, and protective infrastructure, Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu told Parliament yesterday.

Responding to a notice raised by Sunamganj-1 lawmaker Kamruzzaman Kamrul, he said steps are being taken to protect people in haor and other high-risk areas, where farmers and fishers are especially exposed during summer and monsoon storms.

Kamrul said vast haor wetlands in his constituency leave residents vulnerable year-round, noting that at least 12 people were recently killed by lightning, including four in his area.

Citing Nasa data, he added that Sunamganj's haor belt records over 25 strikes per square kilometre.

Despite lightning being declared a national disaster, he pointed to gaps in effective programmes, data, equipment, and shelters, urging science-based planning and more research.

The minister said lightning incidents have increased in recent years, particularly in haor and north-eastern regions.

He highlighted measures including awareness campaigns, planned sirens for early alerts, expanded palm tree plantation, and installation of lightning protection towers.

In an effort to reduce casualties, SSTF has stepped up awareness campaigns in rural areas.

It issued a three-point safety guideline for those working outdoors:

First, people should avoid getting wet in the rain or taking shelter under trees in open areas — one of the most common causes of fatalities.

Second, anyone in fields, rivers, canals, or ponds should immediately seek refuge in a nearby building or concrete structure. If that is not available, they should move to a relatively safer, lower-lying area.

Third, children should be kept away from open fields during storms, and outdoor activities should be suspended.

SSTF also called for coordinated efforts by government agencies and civil society to expand awareness programmes during the peak lightning months of May and June, provide free treatment to the injured, and ensure compensation of Tk5 lakh for families of victims.

Simple steps can save lives

Safety experts stress that many lightning deaths are preventable with basic precautions.

The safest place during a thunderstorm is inside a fully enclosed building or a vehicle with a metal roof.

People are advised to avoid open spaces, elevated areas, tall trees, and small temporary shelters.

Doors and windows should be kept closed, and contact with metal objects, water, and electrical appliances should be avoided.

If caught outdoors with no shelter, individuals should crouch low to the ground, minimising contact rather than lying flat.

Those on water bodies should return to land immediately, as swimming or boating during storms significantly increases risk.

In forested areas, safer spots are low-lying zones with shorter, closely spaced trees rather than isolated tall ones.

As climate risks intensify, experts warn that without sustained awareness and protective measures, lightning will continue to claim hundreds of lives each year-many of them in vulnerable rural communities where a moment's delay can prove fatal.