Sixteen people were killed after they were struck by lightning on their way to a wedding in the South Asian country of Bangladesh, the BBC reported.

According to the groom, Mamun, his family were on their way to join him, but a heavy storm began to strike on their way, forcing them to pull over their boat as they decided to take shelter under a tin shed on the riverbank.

Unfortunately, they were hit by lightning under the shed, killing 16 of Mr Mamun’s family members — Mr Mamun is speaking for the first time about the incident, which happened in August 2021.

“Some people were hugging the bodies,” told the BBC. Mamun recalls, “the injured were crying out in pain… children were screaming. I was at a loss. I could not even decide who I should go to first.”

The 21-year-old lost his father, grandparents, cousins, uncles and aunts on that fateful day, while his mother survived the lightning attack because she was not on the ill-fated boat.

Lightning strikes are a frequent occurrence in Bangladesh and have been linked to the effects of climate change. According to the United Nations, an average of 300 people are killed by lightning every year.

“Global warming, environmental changes, living patterns are all factors for the increasing death toll due to lightning,” Md Mijanur Rahman, the director general of Bangladesh’s disaster management division, told the BBC.