Lightning Kills 23

Lightning kills 23 people in Bangladesh and injures dozens more

Most of the victims were farmers working in the fields, said a local report. Twenty-one of the victims were killed on Sunday and two on Saturday.

If you thought that the lightning deaths in the Bangladesh killing fields set a new record, you’d probably be right because the average number of people killed by lightning in the U.S. is 70 per year, and the U.S. population is 1.9 times that of Bangladesh.

According to National Weather Service (NWS), lightning is a major cause of storm-related deaths in the United States. An average of 58 lightning fatalities were reported over the past 30 or so years, in the U.S., making it deadlier than  hurricanes and tornadoes in most years. Although the true figure could be as many as 70 deaths per year.

Only about 1 in 10 of  lightning victims are killed, according to NWS Storm Data (see following stats), with  the other 90% receiving various degrees of disability.

ODDS OF BECOMING A LIGHTNING VICTIM

• U.S. 2000 Census population (as of 2008):   300,000,000
• Number of Deaths Actually Reported:     60
• Estimated number of actual U.S. Deaths:     60
• Number of Injuries Reported:     340     (total deaths and injuries = 400)
• Estimated number of actual Injuries:     540     (total deaths and injuries = 600)
• Odds of being struck by lightning in a given year (reported deaths + injuries) :    1/750,000
• Odds of being struck by lightning in a given year (estimated total deaths + injuries):     1/500,000
• Odds of being struck in your lifetime (Est. 80 years):     1/6,250
• Odds you will be affected by someone being struck (Ten people affected for every one struck):   1/625

Source: NWS Storm Data

If the massive rise in the number of deaths and injuries caused by lightning were to develop into a pattern, it would serve as yet another ominous warning concerning the ever-increasing intensity in the impact of human-enhanced natural disasters.

Related Links:

• 2010 Disasters
• 2010 Disaster Calender [May]

–

Serial No 1,664. Starting April 2010, each entry on this blog has a unique serial number. If any of the numbers are missing, it may mean that the corresponding entry has been blocked by Google/the authorities in your country. Please drop us a line if you detect any anomaly/missing number(s).