A tragic lightning strike occurred at a cassava plantation in Huai Yai, claiming one life and leaving another person seriously injured. The incident took place near the Huai Yai Municipality Fire Station. Ruangsak Siribut, Deputy Chief of Investigation at Huai Yai Police Station, quickly responded to the distress call, arriving at the scene alongside rescue workers from Pattaya’s Sawang Boriboon Foundation. Upon arrival, they faced heavy rain and continuous lightning.
A 16-year-old Cambodian boy named Mr. Son was found in severe pain beneath a khoi tree, his clothes torn and body marked with burns. He was rushed to Wat Yan Sangwararam Hospital. Nearby, another Cambodian man, aged 30-35, was discovered lifeless next to a white Toyota Mighty-X pickup truck, also with burn marks and damaged clothing.
Mr. Phong, a 30-year-old Cambodian worker, shared that six workers had been cutting cassava when the sky suddenly darkened and thunder rolled. As the storm intensified, some sought shelter under a tree, while others took refuge in the truck. Two powerful lightning strikes hit, injuring those inside the vehicle and killing the man in the truck’s bed.
Sakda Rot-amphan, 54, the workers’ employer, expressed shock at the ferocity of the lightning. After receiving a frantic call from his team, he rushed to the scene, witnessing over ten lightning strikes on his way.
Niran Noensinthong, a prevention officer from the Huai Yai Subdistrict Municipality, led the rescue team, who braved the dangerous weather to aid the injured. Both local residents and officials were shaken by the intensity of the storm, noting that such extreme lightning had never been experienced in the area before. This heartbreaking event underscores the unpredictable and perilous nature of lightning storms, particularly in open farmlands.
credit TPN
