Lightning strike kills man seeking shelter in Buriram field
Brief refuge becomes scene of heartbreak in a flash
A lightning strike tragically claimed the life of a 34 year old man while he sought shelter from the rain in a field hut in the Khok Khao Phatthana village, Buriram province, on May 20.
Police were alerted to the incident by locals and proceeded to the scene, accompanied by investigators and a rescue team. The hut, located approximately 2 kilometres from the village and flanked by two tamarind trees, bore signs of a lightning strike with the victim, Tosaporn, exhibiting severe burns from head to chest and fractured bones.
Boonkird, the 57 year old father of the deceased, recounted the events leading to the tragedy. He and his son had been using a tractor to plough the fields when rain began to fall.
They parked the tractor by the hut but left the engine running. After around 10 minutes, as the rain subsided, they sat against the same hut post, separated by only a few inches, engaging in conversation.
Suddenly, a flash of lightning was followed by a loud crack, and Boonkird felt a tingling sensation and heat on his back and neck. Turning to his son, he found him unresponsive with froth at the mouth and burn marks indicating he had already passed away.
Kamolrat, the deceased’s 52 year old mother, expressed her disbelief over the incident, noting that the area had never experienced a lightning strike before. Disturbingly, her son’s 2-baht gold necklace, worn since his ordination, was missing, with only a few fragments found around the hut.
The loss deeply saddened her, as she described her son as a hardworking and good person.
Initially, officials suggested that the reason the father was unharmed could be due to the dry post they were leaning against, which may have prevented the electrical current from reaching him.
The police recorded the incident and are continuing with their investigation, reported KhaoSod.
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