The death toll from lightning strikes in the first four months of 2011 reached 24, compared with 14 in the same period last year, an official said yesterday. Keo Vy, deputy director of information and relations for the National Committee for Disaster Management, said the higher toll could be explained by rainfall starting two months earlier than last year. Last Thursday, a married couple, their son, aged five, and a dog died in Kratie province when lightning struck their home. A 58-year-old farmer was struck by lightning on Saturday in the Boeung Nay commune of Kampong Cham province’s Prey Chhor district.