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BFF-20
CAMBODIA-LIGHTNING
Lightning strike kills 6 in NW Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Sept 18, 2020 (BSS/XINHUA) – Six people were killed and four others injured by a lightning strike during a torrential rain in northwest Cambodia’s Battambang province, said Battambang provincial governor Nguon Ratanak on Friday.
The tragic incident took place at 6:15 p.m. local time on Thursday in Boeung Thmuoy village of Rukhak Kiri district when the victims, who were relatives, gathered for a dinner under a stilt house on the Pchum Ben festival, or Ancestor’s Day.
“Six people, including two women, were killed outright and four others got wounded by the lightning strike,” the governor told Xinhua over telephone, adding that the injured are currently receiving treatment at a local hospital.
Lightning occurs every year in Cambodia, particularly in the rainy season from May to October.
In 2019, at least 95 Cambodians, mostly rural residents, were killed by lightning strikes and 83 others injured, according to the annual report of the National Committee for Disaster Management.
BSS/XINHUA/SSS/1504 hrs