Two killed in separate lightning strikes in Thakurgaon, Dinajpur

A farmer and a fifth-grade female student died after being struck by lightning in Thakurgaon's Ranishankoil upazila and Dinajpur's Chirirbandar upazila today.

The deceased were Altafur Rahman, 55, and Joyashree Roy, 11, daughter of Mahadev Chandra Roy.

In Thakurgaon, quoting locals, the officer-in-charge of Ranishankoil Police Station told The Daily Star that Altafur was harvesting paddy in a field in Lehemba Gangua village around 12:30pm when the weather suddenly turned dark.

As it began to rain, he started walking towards his home. A few yards from the field, lightning struck him, causing him to collapse on the ground.

Locals rescued him and took him to Ranishankoil Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared him dead.

Meanwhile, a fifth-grader was killed and her mother injured after being struck by lightning at Awliapukur Mittrabati village in Chirirbandar this noon.

The officer-in-charge of Chirirbandar Police Station Abdul Wadud told The Daily Star over the phone that lightning struck them around 12:00pm while they were trying to bring paddy indoors from the courtyard as it began to rain.

Joyashree died on the spot, while her mother, Kakoli Roy, 32, was injured. She is now out of danger after receiving treatment at Dinajpur Medical College Hospital.

Two separate unnatural death cases were filed with the respective police stations in these connections, the OC added.