Saturday, June 5, 2010

Lightning death brings toll this year to 35 in Cambodia

5 June, 2010

Phnom Penh (ANTARA News/Xinhua-OANA) - Lightning claimed yet another victim on Thursday with the death of 48-year-old farmer Lim Khen in Kompong Thom province, local media reported on Saturday, citing local official.

According to the National Committee for Disaster Management, Khen`s death is the 35th reported lightning death so far this year as lightning in 2009 killed 140 people.

Khen was killed as he walked home from his rice field, police chief Mat Moly was quoted by the Cambodia Daily as saying. "When he saw the rain, he left his rice field, where he was seeding. But he was unlucky and was burned on his back and his neck was broken" by the lightning, Moly said.

During a separate storm, which hit Kandal province on Wednesday, a lightning strike killed five cows and strong winds and rain caused injury to 15 villagers as strong gusts destroyed 16 stilt homes and knocked the roofs off nine more in Khsach Kandal districts`s Chey Thom and Vihear Suor communes, district governor Kong Sophan was quoted as saying.

"It was lucky that the villagers weren`t under the houses," said Sophan. "If they were inside, they probably would have died."

No comments: