Three young men have died after being struck by lightning while fishing in separate locations across the Madan and Kendua upazilas of Netrokona district on Thursday morning. The incidents occurred amid light rainfall and thunderstorms in the early hours.

According to local residents and upazila administration sources, the fatalities took place at around 5:45 am in three different water bodies. The deceased have been identified as Rajib Mia (25) of Joypasha village under Kaita il Union in Madan upazila, Shamsul Huda (49) of Dekhle West Para village under Maskaa Union in Kendua upazila, and Ashraful Islam of Dowki village, also in Kendua upazila.

In the first incident, Rajib Mia, who worked as a brick kiln labourer, had gone to fish in the Ganesh Haor area in front of his house. Witnesses reported that a light drizzle was falling at the time when a sudden lightning strike hit him. He died on the spot, according to the Officer-in-Charge of Madan Police Station, Md. Salah Uddin.

In a separate incident occurring around the same time, Shamsul Huda, a cloth trader by profession, went to fish in the Dewal canal of Murail Bill near his residence in Kendua upazila. He was struck by lightning and died instantly. His body was later discovered by local residents, who informed his family. Relatives subsequently recovered the body and brought it home.

In another nearby location, Ashraful Islam was fishing beside the Sandikona canal area when he was also struck by lightning. He died on the spot, local sources confirmed.

Following the incidents, officials from both Madan and Kendua upazilas visited the affected areas. Upazila Nirbahi Officers Shামীম আহমেদ of Madan and মো. রিফাতুল ইসলাম of Kendua confirmed that administrative assistance would be provided to the bereaved families. Each family is set to receive financial support of 20,000 Bangladeshi taka in accordance with government regulations for lightning-related fatalities.

Disaster management officials at the Netrokona Deputy Commissioner’s office reported that a total of 14 people have died due to lightning strikes across various parts of the district so far this year, highlighting the continuing vulnerability of rural communities engaged in outdoor work and fishing activities during the monsoon and pre-monsoon weather conditions.

Details of the deceased

Authorities have reiterated the risks of lightning during unstable weather conditions, particularly for individuals working in open water bodies and rural landscapes during early morning hours.