Last night our neighbours ran to cower under their porch. Dining alfresco, the onset of rain ended their merriment...but the screams?
The screams are justified; to date this year 56 people have been killed by lightning strikes, twice as many as the same time last year. An incredible 114 people were killed by lightning strikes in 2010 and more incredibly, 140 in 2009.
Source: National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM, Cambodia) - May 2011
Sadly, today's Phnom Penh Post brings the year's lightning strike total to 59. Three people were killed in separate incidents on Tuesday in the provinces, marking an early start to the 2011 Cambodian rainy season.
Philip, that's a bizarre and unnerving statistic.
ReplyDeleteThere have since been further deaths from lightning strikes. I am waiting for an updated figure from NCDM.
ReplyDelete