Three people were killed instantly and another 30 seriously injured when a bolt of lightning struck in Mondulkiri province’s O’Raing district yesterday.

Yim Dara, director of Dak Dam Commune Health Centre, said the victims worked for a Chinese pine tree company and were planting in Dak Dam commune when a storm hit.

“I think that this is the first time that so many people have been killed and injured by lightning during one day of heavy rain in the province,” he said, adding that the lightning struck during a two-hour downpour that began at around 3pm.

“There was heavy rain and strong winds, along with a lot of lightning in our province,” he said.

Yim Dara added that those who sustained injuries during the strike were rushed to the district health centre for treatment.

The deaths brought the total number of people killed by lightning strikes in the first four months of this year to 27, compared with 14 over the same period last year, according to figures from the National Committee for Disaster Management.

Last Thursday, a married couple, their son, aged five, and a dog died when lightning struck their home in Kratie province. A 58-year-old farmer also died when he was struck by lightning last Saturday in Kampong Cham province.