A single bolt of lightning struck and killed four rice farmers taking shelter in a wooden hut during a rainstorm on Tuesday in Kompong Chhnang province, Rolea Ba’ier district police chief Kem Chanthy said.
The lightning struck at about 1:30 p.m. in Bra Snoeb commune, where Mao Saret, 54, and his son, Mao Chantha, 17, had been farming in a rice paddy with their neighbors Sat Chum, 23, and Cham Pesei, 21, Mr. Chanthy said.
A fifth person who joined them in the hut, but was sitting apart from them, was not struck by the lightning, he added.
“Four people died instantly while they were sitting together and another one did not die,” Mr. Chanthy said.
“We feel sorry, but it was a natural disaster,” he added. “We are always educating villagers to be careful and protect themselves from danger from natural disasters.”
Keo Vy, a spokesman for the National Committee of Disaster Management, said 90 people have died from lightning strikes so far this year, excluding the four from on Tuesday, with 99 others sustaining injuries.
