Uth Phalla, a military officer, lost his life on Tuesday after being struck by lightning in Takeo province’s Tram Kak district.
Tram Kak district’s O’Saray commune clerk Chea Sam Ol told The Post on Tuesday that the area was hit by a storm on March 9.
“Lightning struck the victim at the military base while he was resting. We suspect he attracted the lightning as he was charging his phone at the time,” he said.
Phalla was the provincial Military Police deputy commander of Company 10.
Takeo’s Military Police chief of staff Chhoem Sovath Dy told The Post that the storm also damaged seven houses in Trapaing Thom Kang Choeung commune.
“Some houses were damaged, but the owners were unharmed. The provincial Red Cross came to their aid,” Sovath Dy said, adding that some of the houses had their roofs ripped off by the storm.
Sovath Dy urged residents to be particularly careful during storms and to refrain from using cell phones in places exposed to rain.
The Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology has announced that Cambodia will experience a low-pressure weather system on March 11-16, raising temperatures across the country.
Provinces in the central plains will experience temperatures of up to 39C. This could be accompanied by low and medium rainfall.
The northeast provinces will see maximum temperatures of between 34-36C, and coastal areas of between 35-37C.
The ministry urged the public to be particularly careful around thunder, lightning and rainstorms and stay cool during the day.
