A farmer was killed in Siem Reap province on Sunday, after he was struck by lightning while riding on a tractor, police said Monday.
Pu Ty, 50, was killed Sunday afternoon as he used his tractor to plow a field in Banteay Srei district’s Khnar Sandai commune, said Hoeul Sarem, a district police officer.
“While the victim was driving the tractor to plow under a dark sky at about 3 p.m., a lightning strike killed him instantly,” Mr. Sarem said.
He added that following the incident, local villagers and Pu Ty’s relatives tried to revive the man, covering his lifeless body with ashes and the blood of a slaughtered duck, and placing the duck on his chest.
“His relatives suspected the victim was still alive, so they tried to do a brief ceremony to bring the soul back,” he said, adding that police had already examined the body and pronounced the farmer dead.
According to Keo Vy, cabinet chief for the National Committee for Disaster Management, lightning has killed five people so far this year while injuring three others. In 2014, he added, lightning was responsible for 75 deaths and 55 injuries.
