<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>A total of 340 people were killed by lightning strikes in the country from April 2022 to May 3, 2023.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Among them, 274 people including 239 men and 35 women died due to lightning strikes during the period of April to December last year.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Save the Society and Thunderstorm Awareness Forum (SSTF) published the death toll during an awareness program involving 300 farmers on Thursday.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The SSTF has been monitoring casualties from thunderstorms since 2019.</div><div><br></div><div>Dr Kabirul Bashar,&nbsp; president of the organization and General Secretary Rashim Mollah demanded steps&nbsp; from the government to reduce the number of deaths from lightning.</div><div><br></div><div>They presented the government with two points of demand that include raising awareness among people regarding thunderstorms by incorporating the topic in textbooks and building lightning-resistant towers and planting high and fast-growing trees in open fields.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>According to SSTF statistics, the first death due to lightning in 2023 was reported on March 15.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>From March to May 3, 66 people died by lightning. Of them, 63 are men and three are women.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Eight people were injured during this period. 51 people died while working in the field alone, it said.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, eleven people died while on boats or while fishing.</div><div><br></div><div>The figures of lightning casualties were collected from national dailies, local daily newspapers, online news portals and television channels.</div><div><br></div><div>This year, the highest number of casualties from thunderstorms&nbsp; occurred in Sunamganj of Sylhet division. Seven people have died in the district. and five people died in Sylhet district.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>