A newly wed couple were killed after being struck by lightning in Preah Vihear province’s Kulen district on Sunday, authorities reported yesterday.

District police chief Lanh Lisivleng told the Post yesterday that Ngeav Nging, 23, and his wife, Thim Vanny, 18, were struck while riding their motorbike in the rain.

Thim Vanny died instantly, while her husband died the following day in the hospital, the police chief added.

Police suspect that the “fierce” lightning struck them because they had stored their mobile phone underneath the motorbike’s seat.

According to figures from the National Committee for Disaster Management, 37 people were killed by lightning during the first four months of this year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Kim Yuthana at [email protected]