Four people in Kompong Cham, Kampot and Kandal provinces were killed by lightning this week, bringing the year’s total number of lightning deaths to 36, officials said yesterday.
In Popel commune in Kompong Cham province’s Ponhea Krek district, a 27-year-old woman who was eight months pregnant was killed instantly Monday when lightning struck her as she was washing pots outside her home. Ponhea Krek district police chief, Prak Bunnun, said Lean Yang’s husband was standing just 3 meters away but was unscathed.
“Our villagers know to always stay in their house or under shelter when it is raining, but when people are in their home, they’re still dying of lightning,” said Mr Bunnun. “We don’t know how to prevent it.”
Long Samneang, 37, and his wife, Srean Samon, 47, were killed yesterday when lightning struck their rice field shelter in Kandal’s Loeuk Dek district. Peam Raing commune chief, Chrin Veoun, said the villagers were struck despite seeking out shelter.
“Lightning struck them twice and the victims’ bodies were very badly burned. It is very lucky their 6-year-old son went to play at a neighbor’s; if he had stayed with them, he would have died too.”
Chhuok Ro, 13, died yesterday in a rice field in Kampot’s Banteay Meas district rice field. Sdech Kong Khang Lech commune police chief Ngheth Vaht said yesterday that the boy and his grandfather were plowing their rice field when lightning struck the boy dead. His grandfather was uninjured.
Deputy director of the National Committee for Disaster Management, Keo Vy, said yesterday that the four recent deaths brought the year’s total to 36.
Mr Vy insisted that the NCDM was working on mitigating the situation.
“Our country does not have enough equipment to protect everyone against lightning yet,” he said yesterday. Mr Vy estimated that 10 to 15 percent of the population has protection in the form of lightning rods. “We will discuss this at a meeting this week, how to solve the problem,” he added.
