Bangladesh and its South Asian neighbours remain largely unprepared to prevent rising deaths from lightning strikes, particularly among farmers and rural workers, experts said at an international webinar.
72 deaths reported till May this year
Disaster management specialists warned that lightning strikes have emerged as one of the deadliest climate-related hazards in the region and called for coordinated regional action, stronger early warning systems and community-based preparedness measures.
The webinar, titled "Lightning Risk Management", was jointly organised by Alliance for Empowering Partnership (A4EP) in collaboration with COAST Foundation, India's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Climate Resilient Observing Systems Promotion Council (CROP-C), and Humanitarian Aid International (HAI).
According to findings presented at the event, climate change is intensifying lightning activity across South Asia. Bangladesh alone recorded at least 72 lightning-related deaths by May this year, while 330 people were killed in 2025.
Experts said farmers and agricultural workers remain the most vulnerable because of the nature of their outdoor work, citing data from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief.
