Five people were killed by lightning during a torrential thunderstorm in southeastern Cambodia that struck at the height of the dry season and caught villagers off-guard, police said Wednesday.Among the dead was a 5-year-old boy who was climbing a ladder outside his home when he was hit, said Nuon Samin, chief of the provincial police force.
The storm pummeled villages Monday across Kampong Cham province, 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of the capital, Phnom Penh. The toddler was one of four fatalities in the province, where dozens of homes were swept away.
Other victims included a 38-year-old woman killed while bathing in a river, a man who was working in a rice field and another man fishing in a lake.
The fifth fatality was a 16-year-old girl herding cows in the nearby province of Prey Ven, said Keo Vy an official from the Cambodian National Management for Disaster Committee.
Police said nobody had expected the storm and hadn't taken the usual precautions.
"I have never seen such a torrential downpour during the dry season," said Nuon Samin.
Videos
Post your feedback
