Woman Struck by Lightning While Rescuing Cattle from Storm Dies Instantly; Family Mourns
A 40-year-old woman in Udon Thani province died instantly when struck by lightning while herding cattle to shelter during a storm on April 26. Her family held a brief funeral ceremony following local customs for deaths by unnatural causes.
On April 27, 2025, a funeral ceremony was held at Wat Amphawanaram (also known as Wat Ban Don Muang) in Nathrai subdistrict, Phibun Rak district, Udon Thani province, for Ms. Namasnan, age 40, who died from a lightning strike in a rice field while bringing cattle into shelter on April 26. The family mourned as villagers observed traditional customs regarding unnatural deaths, keeping the body at the temple for only one day before cremation, believing that keeping it longer would lead to more deaths in the community.
The deceased's husband revealed they had been married for four years without children. At the time of the incident, he was at another field shelter. His wife rode her motorcycle to retrieve their nine cattle and bring them to shelter due to the approaching thunderstorm. She was struck by lightning around 2:45 PM while walking back to her motorcycle after securing the cattle. Her body showed severe burn wounds across it.
The deceased's sister reported that she and her husband rode to their cattle shelter nearby and went to check on her sister's herd. Finding only the cattle but no sign of her sister, they searched and discovered her lying face-down, killed by the lightning strike with burns covering her entire body.
"We heard the thunder and lightning striking over our sister's field and felt uneasy," the sister said. "We want to tell our sister's spirit to find peace and not worry anymore. May we be reborn as siblings together in all future lives."
