PHNOM PENH, Oct. 2 — Lightning strikes had killed 40 people in Cambodia in the first nine months of 2025, down 26 percent from 54 deaths over the same period last year, a disaster control spokesperson said on Thursday.
“Among the dead so far this year were 13 women and 13 children,” Soth Kim Kolmony, the spokesperson for the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), told Xinhua. Besides the fatalities, thunderbolts injured 58 other people and killed 71 cattle during the January-September period this year, he added.
provinces with the highest number of lightning strikes were Siem Reap, Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, and Preah Sihanouk, he said.
“To prevent the dangers of lightning strikes, people, particularly those living in rural areas, should stay in houses or shelters when there is a storm or rain,” Kolmony said.
addition to the casualties from lightning strikes, fires also killed 27 people, as storms claimed nine lives during the first nine months of this year, according to the spokesperson. (Xinhua)
