Summer Storms Batter Surin as Lightning Kills Cow in Rice Field; Owner Narrowly Escapes Death
A lightning strike killed a cow tied to a tree in a Surin rice field during severe storms on April 28, narrowly missing the owner who was heading to retrieve the animal.
At 5:30 p.m. on April 28, 2025, summer storms with severe lightning struck multiple areas across Surin Province. In Ban Thai village, Moo 11, in Si Kharin District, a female cow belonging to 66-year-old resident Thani Datsatrop was killed by lightning while tied to a teak tree in a rice field. The tree bore clear scorch marks from the strike, and authorities believe the lightning struck the tree directly, electrocuting the animal tied to it. Residents gathered at the scene expressed shock and fear, with some who were preparing their fields for rice planting particularly alarmed about their own safety.
Thani recounted that he was heading out to lead the cow back to its pen when the storm suddenly rolled in with heavy rain. A deafening clap of thunder made him drop to the ground in fear. When he approached to check, he found the cow already dead with visible burn marks. "I was lucky I hadn't reached where the cow was tied yet, or I could have been struck too," he said. No people were injured or killed in the incident. Thani expressed distress over the loss, noting the cow had been well cared for, and appealed to relevant agencies for assistance with his financial loss.
