At least 14 killed in lightning strikes in Bangladesh: source

DHAKA, April 29 (Xinhua) -- At least 14 people were killed and dozens injured by lightning strikes in various parts of Bangladesh on Sunday, hospital and local sources said.

Most of the people who died were working on farms during a tropical storm on Sunday afternoon in seven districts of Bangladesh,the sources said.

A government official in Dhaka could not immediately confirm the toll.

Death due to lightning strikes is common in Bangladesh during this time of the year, as the weather changes from the dry season to the rainy summer season.

Bangladesh is experiencing a surge of lightning strike deaths in recent years.

Local sources said storm on Sunday flattened hundreds of houses in rural Bangladesh districts, uprooted trees and leveled electric poles disrupting the power supply.

The storm caused heavy damage to standing paddy crops. Enditem