Officials from the National Committee for Disaster Management said yesterday that the number of people who died as a result of lightning strikes in the first three months of 2012 declined from the same period last year.

Keo Vy, chief of cabinet of the NCDM, said that four people died and three were injured by lightning strikes during the timeframe.

“This is a decrease compared to the same time last year, when 14 people died and six were injured,” he said.

Meanwhile, cases of storm damage increased over the same period.

“There were 22 storms for the first three months in 2012, which caused damage to 457 houses. One person died and 12 people were injured,” Keo Vy said.

In the first three months of last year, 11 storms damaged 147 houses and injured eight people.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mom Kunthear at [email protected]