Three dead from lightning strike at Thai waterfall

On Friday afternoon, lightning during a storm at Thailand’s scenic Tad Ton waterfall killed three tourists, including one Australian, who in the country as a teacher.

Two young female Thai students and the teacher, Gregory Ian Crombie, from Perth in Western Australia, were killed during the sudden storm, according to local police.

Three others were injured, including two teenage students from Australia and a 17-year-old Thai, who were rushed from the local Mukdahan Hospital to an intensive treatment unit in Ubon Ratchathani, in the north-east of Thailand, doctors said, from where they would be airlifted to Bangkok for further treatment.

Thongsom Paggangwaesang, 34, was the Thai leading the group to the waterfall, said that while they were swimming it started to rain and then the storm hit, with two thunderbolts striking several members of the group.

“Before the accident, I saw a tourist talking on a mobile phone near the group,” noted the woman leading the group, who was only two metres from the spot where the others were struck down.

She was also a teacher, acting as a guide for the group of Australian and Thai students on a trip to the market town of Mukdahan and then on to the Tan Ton waterfall.

The Australians in the group included 13 students and three teachers from Perth, who were visiting Thailand in a cultural exchange programme between the two countries.

Thanks to www.bangkokpost.com for the quote above, for more information on this article please visit their website.

www.tourismthailand.org