Dhaka: In an unfortunate incident, lightning strikes have hit a wedding party in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Wednesday which has killed over 16 people on the spot. As per updates from news agency AFP, the groom has been injured in the incident, but the bride is safe.
Speaking to the news agency, a government administrator said that the wedding party group had just left a boat at the riverside town of Shibganj to take shelter from the thunderstorm when the lightning struck.
However, during the incident, the bride was not present at the spot as several bolts struck within a few seconds of each other in the western district of Chapainawabganj.
During this monsoon time, storms have battered Bangladesh. A week of torrential rains in the southeastern district of Cox’s Bazar left some 20 dead, including six Rohingya refugees.
As per reports, the lightning kills hundreds of people in the South Asian nation each year. As per the official update, there were more than 200 lightning deaths in 2016, with 82 people dying on a single day in May. Many deaths are never officially recorded, however, and one independent monitor counted at least 349 deaths from lightning strikes.