
A bolt of lightning strikes in the stormy skies above Phnom Penh. According to the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), 83 lightning strikes were recorded in the first six months of the year. Hong Menea
The number of deaths and injuries due to lightning strikes and strong winds dropped in the first six months of 2024 compared to the same period of 2023.
During the interval, 82 lightning strikes were recorded, killing 45 people, injuring 36 and damaging 22 houses, according to a report from the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM).
The highest number of such incidents occurred in Siem Reap province, with 13 strikes killing seven people. Battambang followed with 12, killing six people, and Tbong Khmum had eight strikes, killing four people.
The numbers have decreased slightly from the same period in 2023, when there were 82 such incidents, killing 46 people and injuring 39 others.
The report also noted that 182 severe wind events were recorded during the interval, causing three deaths and injuring 23 people. Additionally, strong winds collapsed 375 houses, destroyed the roofs of 3,327 homes and damaged 37 schools, 17 markets and 13 administrative buildings.
Battambang recorded the highest number of high-wind incidents with 27, followed by Siem Reap with 16.
In 2023, severe winds killed six people and injured up to 120 in the same six-month period.
NCDM spokesperson Soth Kim Kolmony noted that natural phenomena cannot be eliminated, and people need to heed the authories’ past educational efforts to reduce the risk.
“During thunderstorms, people must exercise the most caution shortly before it rains,” he said.
Ly Vannak, chief of administration at Siem Reap Provincial Hall, the province where the majority of lightning strike fatalities have occurred, stated that cities and some towns are equipped with protection systems, however, most of the incidents occur in fields.
“We cannot install lightning protection systems everywhere, so people should avoid using mobile phones in the fields when it rains. It is a natural phenomenon that we cannot predict,” he said.
He added that before the rainy season, the provincial NCDM always announces and advises people to be cautious of various phenomena and natural disasters.