A bolt of lightning killed a pregnant woman in her home in rural Kratie province on Monday afternoon just before an oncoming storm, according to police.
Lon Theang, 33, a mother of four, had been charging her telephone with a car battery she’d placed on the balcony of her house in Chet Borei district’s Thmei commune, said Chem Chankoma, the commune police chief.
Just before the rain began, Lon Theang went to the balcony to unplug her phone, he said.
At that point, lightning struck her house, killing her instantly.
Mr. Chankoma said he suspected the lightning had hit the antenna of her television, which was also connected to the battery, and that the shock had reached her as she was unplugging her phone.
“We don’t know where lightning will strike, so all people must be wary of it,” he said.
Keo Vy, spokesman for the National Committee for Disaster Management, said 99 people have died from lightning in the first nine months of this year, while 101 have been injured.
