A teenage girl was killed and four others were injured by a lightning strike in Pursat province’s Veal Veng district on Saturday evening, police said yesterday.

Local police said at least five were dead or injured in the incident at Veal Sdav in Krasang Pnov village, Kroper Pi Commune, Veal Veng District.

Theang Leng, Veal Veng district police chief, said yesterday morning that Deum Sophors, 13, was watching television with several family members at her home in Kropeu Pi commune’s Krasang Pnov village when she was killed by the lightning strike preceding a rain shower.

Sophors’ sisters, Deum Sopha, 7, and Deum Dav, 4, were also injured to varying degrees of severity, as was Sophors’ sister-in-law, Sean Chanthy, 18, and her niece, Pha Sreynit, 8 months old. All four were sent for treatment at the district health centre.

“The victim’s body had burned skin and hair, and the four injured victims were in similar condition,” Leng said.

At least two other people have died from lightning so far this month, both on April 2, with one incident taking place in Pailin province, and the other in Battambang.