Lightning At This Wedding Kills 16, Groom Injured, Bride Safe

The wedding party had just left a boat to take shelter from the thunderstorm when the lightning struck, a government official said.

Several lightning bolts hit a Bangladesh wedding party within a few seconds today, killing 16 people and injuring the groom, officials said. The group had just left a boat at the riverside town of Shibganj to take shelter from the thunderstorm when the lightning struck, a government administrator for the town said. The bride was not with the wedding party, Sakib Al-Rabby told news agency AFP, confirming 16 people died as several bolts struck within a few seconds of each other in the western district of Chapainawabganj. Fierce monsoon storms have battered Bangladesh. A week of torrential rains in the southeastern district of Cox's Bazar left some 20 dead, including six Rohingya refugees.