DHAKA: More than 60 people  have been killed by lightning over the past two days during tropical  storms across Bangladesh, local media said on Saturday.

Most of the 64  lightning deaths since Thursday have occurred in rural Bangladesh, where  farmers are busy with the current harvesting season, leading  Bengali-language newspapers Prothom Alo and Samakal  reported.

The reports of casualties could not be verified independently,  with lightning deaths not usually monitored by government agencies.

Experts say increased deforestation and people’s exposure to metal  equipment like cellphones are the reasons behind lightning deaths in  Bangladesh.