Three people were killed and two injured on Sunday evening as heavy storms struck Svay Rieng, Kampong Chhnang and Preah Sihanouk provinces, destroying dozens of homes.

Sek Vanna, the police chief in Svay Rieng’s Doung commune, said two people were killed in the area when their houses collapsed at around 7pm.

“Mao Khorn, 53, and Kol Pei, 50, were killed immediately when their houses dropped on them because of the storm, and another woman just got light injuries,” he said, adding that the two deaths marked the first storm-related fatalities in the area this year.

“More than 20 houses were damaged and nine houses were completely destroyed.’’

Elsewhere, in Kampong Chhnang’s Rolea Ba’ier district, a 60-year-old woman was injured and nine houses damaged. In Preah Sihanouk province, 31-year-old Muth Pheak died after being struck by lightning while working in his rice field, according to authorities.

A report by the National Committee for Disaster Management obtained last week said that lightning killed 30 people and injured 21 during the first five months of this year.