Pabna, Oct 31 (V7N) – Six people were killed and two others seriously injured after lightning struck a group of people fishing with hooks in Sonapatil Beel in Malanchi Union of Pabna Sadar upazila on Friday afternoon.
The incident occurred at around 4pm on October 30.
Pabna Superintendent of Police Abu Ashraf confirmed the deaths, saying police were sent to the scene immediately after receiving the information.
According to local sources, the victims and injured men had gone to Sonapatil Beel to catch fish using fishing rods. When rain suddenly began, they took shelter in a nearby fishermen’s shed. Lightning struck the shelter, killing six people at the scene and seriously injuring two others.
The injured were rescued and admitted to Pabna General Hospital.
The deceased were identified as Shawon, 22, son of Robiul Islam of Ganjamati village; Robbel Hossain, 22, son of Ismail Hossain of Nalmura village; Mizan Ali, 12, son of Shahjahan Ali; Sajid Hossain, 10, son of Monirul Islam; Abdullah Pramanik, 18, son of Shahadat Pramanik; and Emon Hossain, 14, son of Ibadul Hossain. The last four were cousins.
The injured were identified as Ripon, 32, son of Ata Ali of Ganjamati village, and another 14-year-old whose identity was not immediately known.
Ahmad Ali Sarker, a sub-assistant agriculture officer at the Pabna Sadar Upazila Agriculture Office, said he went to the village after receiving news of the incident. He said all those killed were children of farmers and that their names would be compiled and submitted to the relevant authorities for possible government assistance.
The incident has cast a pall of grief over the area, with relatives and local residents mourning the deaths.
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