11 struck by lightning

PETALING JAYA: Six foreigners were killed and five more injured when lightning struck them in two separate incidents.

In the first incident, three Indonesians died and and two were injured at about 2.45pm while working at a farm during a heavy storm in Sungai Choh near Kuala Kubu Baru.

The dead were Adik Rohmat, 28, Roni Dwi Jatmiko, 28, and Sugiran, 29, while the identities of the injured men, aged 25 and 40 years respectively, had yet to be ascertained.

Hulu Selangor OCPD Supt Norel Azmi Affandi Yahya said the injured workers were taken to a nearby health clinic for treatment for minor burns and lacerations.

In another incident in Jalan Reaktor, Persiaran Kerjaya in Glenmarie, three Indonesian contract workers died while three of their colleagues were injured when lightning struck them at about 2.30pm.

The six, aged between 20 and 40, were believed to have been taking shelter outside their kongsi (workers' quarters) when the lightning struck a nearby puddle before hitting them.

The men were said to have stuck their feet out of the kongsi veranda during the mishap.

The deceased were Hazarin, 29, Surady, 31, and Mohd Nasir, 40 while Dashir, 28, Rossey, 25, and Surady's wife Som, who is in her 20s, were taken to the Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Klang for treatment.

According to a witness, Sunarto, 42, the workers were instructed by their supervisor to stop work and take shelter when it started to rain heavily.

Shah Alam OCPD ACP Zahedi Ayob confirmed the incident. ACP Zahedi said a Bukit Jelutong team led by Inspector Mohd Azan Radzali rushed to the scene after receiving a report at about 3pm.

Meanwhile, Glenmarie Properties property, asset and development division group director Siti Mariam Mohd Desa said work at the site would be temporarily stopped due to the mishap.

Malaysia has one of the highest occurrences of lightning strikes in the world.