The deaths were reported by Somoy TV, a leading 24-hour news television channel in Bangladesh, hours after a severe Nor’wester storm lashed parts of the country on Monday morning.

Television footage showed the destruction in places left behind by the storm.

The majority of the lightning fatalities occurred as always in rural Bangladesh areas. Thundershowers accompanied by squally wind and lighting flashes also occurred in capital Dhaka on Monday morning.

Heavy rainfalls that started Sunday morning as monsoon became extremely active over Andaman Sea and adjoining areas, submerged many streets and some low-lying areas in Dhaka on Monday.

It created huge traffic gridlock with scores of vehicles going out of order.

A bulletin of Bangladesh Meteorological Department Monday predicted a heavy rainfall with gusty or squally wind in next 48 hours all over the country.

Local sources said storm on Monday also flattened houses in rural Bangladesh districts and uprooted trees and caused heavy damage to standing paddy crops.

At least 16 people were killed by lightning strikes in various parts of Bangladesh on Sunday, hospital sources said.

Death due to lightning strikes is common in Bangladesh during this time of the year, as the weather changes from the dry season to the rainy summer season.

But the country is experiencing a surge of lightning strike deaths in recent years.

Experts here blame the rise in lightning deaths directly on climate change that made Bangladesh exponentially more vulnerable to its impacts. — BERNAMA