Six lightning deaths, dozens of homes destroyed in storms

2 May 2014
The Cambodia Daily
Disaster preparedness and emergency response policy and administration / Disasters / Environment and natural resources / Government / Ministries and other national bodies / Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology / Storms
Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology / National Committee for Disaster Management / NCDM / Poipet city

At least six people were killed by lightning this week in storms that destroyed dozens of homes across several provinces, officials said Thursday. Keo Vy, cabinet chief for the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), said that the six deaths had occurred between Monday and Wednesday as a result of lightning strikes. “Lightning is a natural disaster and we are always educating people, especially those in the countryside, to be more careful,” Mr. Vy said. “We also inform them of weather updates from the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology.” … Cambodia has one of the highest death-by-lightning rates in the world, with 7.8 deaths per million people between 2007 and 2011. The worst year on record for lightning deaths was 2011, when 165 deaths were reported.

 Ben Sokhean
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/six-lightning-deaths-dozens-of-homes-destroyed-in-storms-57957/