Tragic: Hardworking Man Struck by Lightning While Seeking Money for Daughter's School Uniform
A 45-year-old man in Buriram Province was fatally struck by lightning while working in a sugarcane field to earn money for his daughter's school uniform. Sunthorn died despite emergency CPR after picking up a metal shovel near a tree as a s
A hardworking 45-year-old man was fatally struck by lightning while working in a sugarcane field, having taken the job to earn money for his 9-year-old daughter's school uniform before classes resumed. At 2 p.m. on May 7, 2025, police and rescue teams responded to reports of a lightning strike victim in a sugarcane field in Don Mon subdistrict, Satuk district, Buriram Province. They found the body of Sunthorn, 45, lying unconscious with burn marks and a shovel beside him. Despite emergency CPR, he died before reaching Satuk Hospital.
According to a witness, Sai, 67, the sugarcane farm owner had hired 17 workers to clear grass at 300 baht each. Sai had invited Sunthorn, a son-in-law in the village, knowing he was desperately raising money to buy a complete school uniform—pants, shirt, and shoes—for his daughter in fourth grade before the semester opened. After lunch, as dark clouds gathered, Sunthorn went to retrieve his shovel near a tree despite warnings from others about the approaching storm. The moment he picked up the metal shovel, lightning struck with a loud crack, and he collapsed.
A local resident, Kiang, 60, recalled that Sunthorn had been a productive member of the community for eight years, always working hard and taking any job available to support his family.
