DHAKA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people were killed on Thursday by a massive lightning strike in Bangladesh's Sirajganj district, 134 km northwest of the national capital Dhaka, a local police official said.
Md Noor Alam Siddiqui, additional police chief of the Sirajganj district, told Xinhua over mobile phone: "Nine people, including five of the same family, were killed in lightning in Sirajganj's Ullapara sub-district."
Two others were injured in the accident, he added.
He said all the victims were working at a paddy field when the lightning strike hit them at around 3:30 p.m. local time.
The thunderbolt struck them abruptly, leaving five people dead on the spot and six others injured critically. Four of the injured died later in a hospital, he added.
Deaths due to lightning strikes are common in Bangladesh during this time of the year. However, the South Asian country has seen a surge in deaths due to lightning strike over recent years, and some of the country's experts have blamed the situation directly on climate change. ■
