Lightning strikes kill 14 as Bangladesh lashed by seasonal storms

 ⁠At least 14 people were killed after ​lightning strikes ​hit several parts of Bangladesh, officials said on Monday, as seasonal thunderstorms swept across the country.
The deaths were reported from several districts after ⁠sudden storms brought heavy rain and ⁠intense lightning.
Most of the victims were farmers working in open fields and labourers caught ‌in exposed areas, local ​authorities said.

Several ⁠other people were injured ​and taken to nearby ‌hospitals, with some in critical condition.
Lightning kills hundreds ​of people every year in Bangladesh, which declared lightning strikes a natural disaster in 2016 after more than 200 people died ‌in the month of May alone, including ​82 people on a single day.
Experts ​say ‌the ⁠rise in fatal lightning strikes is linked to deforestation, which has led ​to the disappearance of ⁠many tall trees ​that previously helped draw lightning away from people.
Lightning-related fatalities are common during the pre-monsoon months of April ​to June, when rising heat ​and humidity create unstable weather conditions.