One killed in lightning strike

PETALING JAYA: A lightning strike on a football field near Setia Murni, Setia Alam, killed a Rohingya player and injured three others.

Heavy rain had forced the afternoon game to stop but a few players were still on the field when tragedy struck.

Nineteen-year-old Rohimullah was killed while three others were rushed to the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang for treatment.

North Klang OCPD Asst Comm Nurulhuda Mohd Salleh confirmed the case when contacted.

“One of the players, aged 30 is currently in a coma whereas the injuries of the remaining two players have yet to be ascertained,” she said yesterday.

The incident occurred about 25.5km from Subang Jaya, a hotspot for lightning activities in the country.

Subang Jaya sees over 362 lightning cases in a year.

Other lighting-prone areas are Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Johor Baru and Penang.

Malaysia has the third highest lightning activity in the world, according to the US National Lightning Safety Institute.

The number of lightning activities is higher during the inter-monsoon periods in April, May, September and October.

From 2008 to 2017, there were 125 fatalities and 157 injuries due to lightning strikes in Malaysia.