An 18-year-old youth was killed and his four-year-old niece was injured after being struck by lightning on the rooftop of a building in Hazaribagh area of Dhaka on Monday.
The deceased was identified as Riaz, 18, who worked at a shoe factory in Hazaribagh. He is originally from Char Ramani village under Sadar upazila of Lakshmipur, and he was currently residing in the house in Boubazar, Hazaribagh.
The incident occurred at around 2:45pm on Monday on the rooftop of a four-storey building in Hazaribagh Boubazar area.
According to Md Suman, a relative of the deceased, Riaz and his niece, Antara, had gone to the rooftop to get wet in the rain when lightning suddenly struck them, leaving both unconscious.
They were quickly taken to a local hospital, from where Riaz was rushed in a critical condition to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH). Doctors at DMCH declared him dead at around 3:45pm.
Meanwhile, his injured niece, Antara, is undergoing treatment at Sikder Medical.
Inspector Md Habibur Rahman, in-charge of DMCH Police Camp, confirmed the death and said the body has been kept in the hospital morgue for an autopsy. He added that Hazaribagh police are investigating the incident.
