Dozens of Bangladeshis were killed in lightning strikes as pre-monsoon thunderstorms wreaked havoc across the South Asian country, an official said Thursday.

Farmers harvesting rice in open fields made up the majority of victims, Iftekharul Islam, a director at Bangladesh's disaster management department, told AFP.

"In the last 24 hours, 29 people have died from lightning in 12 districts. Almost all of them are farmers," he said.

Scores of people die every year after being struck by lightning during Bangladesh's wet season, which runs from April to October, but officials say the numbers are exceptionally high this year.

Islam said that more than 112 people had been killed in strikes in the first 10 days of May.

"Every day 10-12 people are dying from lightning," he explained, adding that it was instilling fear in farmers who harvest rice during this time of the year.

Authorities declared lightning a natural disaster after 82 people were killed in a single day in May 2016.

Independent monitors estimated that some 349 Bangladeshis died from lightning that year.

Experts say deaths are rising as Bangladesh, one of the world's poorest nations, witnesses the increased deforestation of rural areas.

Farmers are known to chop down trees to free up space to grow more rice.

Disaster management officials are trying to reduce the high death toll by planting five million palm trees to provide better shelter.

"We have already planted 3.8 million palm trees. But the trees take years to grow tall," said Islam.

Bangladeshi officials say a similar tree-planting programme in Thailand has yielded results.

13 killed as fresh thunderstorms lash India
New Delhi (AFP) May 9, 2018 - At least 13 people were killed Wednesday as thunderstorms battered northern and eastern India, officials said, a week after a deadly dust storm ravaged large swathes of the country.

Nine people were killed in northern Uttar Pradesh after a storm and high winds struck parts of the state late Wednesday, disaster management authorities said.

Most of the deaths were caused by falling walls or trees in Etawah and Mathura districts, an official at the authority told AFP.

A teenager was hit by a lightning bolt in Hathras and another was crushed under a tree in neighbouring Agra district.

"Four to five people were injured in freak accidents caused by winds that was followed by rain or hail at several places," the official said.

Agra -- home to Taj Mahal -- was the worst affected in the deadly dust storm that left nearly 150 people dead across six Indian states in early May.

Emergency officials said four people were killed by lightning and thunderstorms in northeastern Assam state on Wednesday.

Related Links
Weather News at TerraDaily.com

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At least 125 killed as storms batter India
Agra, India (AFP) May 3, 2018
A huge dust storm and lightning strikes killed at least 125 people across India which braced Thursday for more wild weather. Dust clouds plunged swathes of north India into darkness as choking winds of more than 130 kilometres (80 miles) per hour swept across the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab, flattening houses, walls, trees and power pylons. At least 111 people were killed, many as they slept when walls and roofs came tumbling down on them. Another 14 people were killed in t ... read more