PHNOM PENH, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Lightning strikes had claimed 72 lives in Cambodia in the first nine months of 2017, down 28 percent compared to the same period last year, a senior disaster control official said on Friday.
Besides lightning fatalities, flash floods and storms had killed 33 others during the January-September period this year, said Nhim Vanda, first vice president of the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM).
"Although the fatal numbers from lightning strikes go down, lightning remains the leading cause of deaths among deaths from natural disasters," he said during the celebration of the ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Day for Disaster Management in Phnom Penh.
Lightning happens often during the rainy season from May to October, he said, adding that to avoid the dangers of lightning, people should stay in homes or shelters when there is rain.
