A lightning strike killed two brothers and injured their friend as the three young boys looked for fish in a field in Prey Veng town on Friday, police said.

The brothers, 15-year-old San Malay and 11-year-old San Vicheka, along with their friend, 13-year-old Phy Phalla, left their homes at around 4:30pm, said Prey Veng town deputy police chief Mom Pun.

“The injured boy, Phy Phalla, said that when they were looking for fish, he heard a loud sound, which was like something exploded, and then he fainted in the field,” said Pun.

“He got up and thought his two friends had left without telling him, but then he saw their bodies in the rice field, although he thought they fainted as well.”

Pun said the brothers suffered critical injuries to their neck and chest.

Phalla was about 50 metres away from the two siblings when the lighting struck, said Pun, which likely saved his life.

According to the National Committee for Disaster Management, 80 people died and another 63 were injured by lightning strikes in the first nine months of 2015.