A fisherman was killed and five others injured after lightning struck their fishing boat in the Bay of Bengal while they were out fishing.

The incident occurred at around 1:00am on Tuesday (November 3).

The deceased was identified as Md Hossain, 45, son of Boshor and a resident of the Saint Martin’s area of Teknaf. He had been living in Uttar Lombori area of Teknaf Sadar for a long time.

The injured fishermen were identified as Abul Kalam, 30, Abul Qasim, 24, Osman, 25, Shafi Alam and Hamidul Haque. All of them are residents of the same area.

Hamidul Haque, the boat’s skipper, said six fishermen had set out from the Uttar Lombori boat ghat on Monday afternoon (November 2). At around 1:00am on Tuesday, they had cast their nets and were waiting to catch fish when a sudden thunderstorm began. At one point, lightning struck their boat, seriously injuring Hossain. The other five fishermen were also injured in the incident.

Boat owner Abdul Amin said Hossain died after being struck by lightning while fishing in the sea. The lightning struck his left hand. However, he said the other five fishermen were not directly hit by lightning.

Naushad Alam Kanan, an emergency department physician at Teknaf Upazila Health Complex, said a fisherman injured in the lightning strike was brought to the emergency department. However, he had died before reaching the hospital. The five injured fishermen received primary treatment and were later discharged.

Foyzul Islam, acting chairman of Saint Martin’s Union Parishad, said he had heard that a fisherman from the area had died in a lightning strike at sea. The deceased’s relatives were on their way to Teknaf, and the body would be taken to Saint Martin’s Island.

The incident has sparked concern among local fishermen.