At 2:00 PM on May 20, Pol. Lt. Wiwat Nama-asa, an investigator at Pakham Police Station in Buriram province, received a report of a lightning strike in a rice field near Kok Khao Pattana village in Khok Mamuang Subdistrict. Rescue units accompanied police to the scene.
The incident occurred at a field hut located about 2 kilometers from the village. Two tamarind trees flanked the hut. Inside, they found the body of Mr. Thossaphon (surname withheld), 34, lying dead. Initial examination revealed burn marks from his head to his chest, abdomen, and hips, with multiple fractures. Burn damage was also found on the hut's support post.
Mr. Boonkoet (surname withheld), 57, the deceased’s father, said he and his son had driven a tractor to plow their field. When it began to rain, they parked at the hut. The tractor was left running. Around 10 minutes later, as the rain subsided, they both leaned against the same post inside the hut, just inches apart, and chatted. Suddenly, a bright flash was followed by a loud crack.
The father felt a shock and heat on his neck and back. When he turned to his son, he found him collapsed with foam at his mouth and severe burns. He had died instantly.
Mrs. Kamonrat (surname withheld), 52, the deceased’s mother, noted that lightning strikes had never occurred in that area before. Strangely, her son’s gold necklace, weighing two baht and worn since his ordination, had disappeared, leaving behind only small fragments. She expressed deep sorrow over the loss of her hardworking and kind son.
Doctors suggested that the father survived because the wooden post they were leaning on was dry, preventing the electrical current from fully reaching him.