PHNOM PENH, July 8, (Xinhua): Lightning strikes had killed 31 people in Cambodia in the first half of 2025, down 31 percent from 45 deaths over the same period last year, a disaster control spokesperson said on Tuesday. "Among the dead so far this year were 11 females and three children," Soth Kim Kolmony, spokesperson for the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), told Xinhua.

Besides the fatalities, thunderbolts injured 53 other people and killed 71 cattle during the January-June period this year, he added. The provinces with the highest number of lightning strikes were Siem Reap, Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, and Preah Sihanouk. To avoid 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. In addition to the casualties from lightning strikes, fires killed 22 people, and storms claimed five lives during the first half of this year, according to the spokesperson.