Dr Abdul Mannan Chowdhury, a professor of physics at Jahangirnagar University, said this while presenting the keynote paper at a seminar in the city yesterday.

The seminar on 'The basics of lightning and its status in Bangladesh' was organised by Nadir International in association with Applicationes Technologicas.

"Bangladesh is one of the thunderstorm prone area in the South Asian region and over hundred people are killed, several hundreds injured and many properties damaged by lightning. So research on thunderstorm and lightning is essential to reduce the loss of human lives as well as properties," Dr Abdul Mannan said.

"From the last two years' data, it is found that, on an average, lightning causalities are more than one hundred and May is the highest period of lightning death and injuries. In central Bangladesh, the most likely time of thunderstorm occurrence is early afternoon or evening while in the north it is either night or early morning," he pointed out.

Jean Paul Navarro, export manager of Applicationes Technologicas, Spain, presented another keynote paper on lightning protection.