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Kampong Chhnang: One man died and two others were seriously injured by lightning on Friday afternoon, May 10, 2019, as they tried to phone each other to find a shelter from the rain.

The National Police website reported that 19 year-old Meas Sarun and two unnamed fellow villagers were struck by lightning in the rice paddy they were harvesting in Kampong Chhnang province’s Boribo district. Meas Sarun died at the scene and the other two men were injured. They were struck by lightning while phoning each during a severe thunderstorm.

Unless there was a landline out in the paddy field then the fact they were phoning was probably less relevant than standing out in the open in a thunderstorm.

Shocking news.

xandreu wrote: ↑Sun May 12, 2019 9:51 pm Shocking news.

And enlightening news too; don't stand in a field during a thunder storm...

My wife repeatedly demands I turn the phone off if there is thunder, my father in law warned me about using a car remote during one the other day. I am sure this is a fallacy but they are quick to show me posts like the story above to enforce their beliefs. They also show me that the Fanta in the glass for Buddha is less than last week ( evaporation I believe)

Why in North America is it not a concern? Are we foolish? I don't golf during a thunderstorm, I thought I was aware of the dangers.

Yes, Cambodians believe a phone in your hand will make you vulnerable to be hit by lightning. In your pocket is OK of course,

When I was a teenager I was working in the field when hell suddenly broke loose and thunder and lightning started over our heads. All we could do was bury ourselves as deep in the mud as we could, and I we had not, I am not sure what the outcome would have been. Of course this was in the 'pre-cell phone era'. Better throw yourself down than start calling.

I think the old land lines were a justifiable concern for lightning

I have rented a room in a block of 60. Just recently it started raining and the wifi went off. When the rain stopped I went over to tell them. They had unplugged it, as they were concerned about it being hit by lightning. When the rain stopped they had not bothered to plug it back in. After I spoke to them they plugged it back in. A few days later it rained again. Guess what, they unplugged the wifi. I had to go and educate them. With their fear of lightning, they inconvenience 60 families.

You have more chance of winning the lottery than being hit by lightning. It is not something to worry about.

People ride motorbikes on these dangerous roads. There are thousands of times more road accidents than people being hit by lightning.

explorer wrote: ↑Mon May 13, 2019 9:10 am I have rented a room in a block of 60. Just recently it started raining and the wifi went off. When the rain stopped I went over to tell them. They had unplugged it, as they were concerned about it being hit by lightning. When the rain stopped they had not bothered to plug it back in. After I spoke to them they plugged it back in. A few days later it rained again. Guess what, they unplugged the wifi. I had to go and educate them. With their fear of lightning, they inconvenience 60 families.

It's the modem they were concerned about, a strike to the power line could cause a surge and take out the modem.

Should I Unplug the Modem when there is Lightning?

When thunderstorms are in your area it is not always safe to just turn off your modem. It does not matter if your modem is in a home or office it is imperative to protect it during a storm. Many times when lightning strikes this can cause a sudden power surge, in return the modem can be completely destroyed leaving you without cable connection. So if there happens to be lighting in your area, or even just a thunderstorm in general, the safest way to go is to turn off AND unplug the modem as well as all the cords connected to it. http://regionsupply.com/pages/faq/unplugmodem.php