Summary
Bangladesh has begun planting one million palm trees nationwide to help prevent hundreds of people being killed by lightning strikes every year, a top official said Tuesday.
Authorities last year declared lightning a natural disaster as official tallies recorded more than 200 deaths in 2016, with 82 people dying on a single day in May.
Alam said the number of lightning strikes has increased in Bangladesh amid increased deforestation in rural areas where farmers often chop down trees so they can grow more rice and other crops.
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