Five killed during school trip to Thai waterfall
Two Australians and three Thais were struck by lightning and killed during a school trip to a waterfall in north-eastern Thailand, police said today.
The victims were part of a group of Australian and Thai secondary school students and teachers who were visiting the waterfall yesterday as part of a cultural exchange program, said police Captain Boonsri Dejchai.
A lightning storm started after the group reached the waterfall in Mukdahan province, 330 miles north-east of Bangkok, and they sought refuge in a covered area under a large tree, Mr Boonsri said.
A bolt of lightning struck near the base of the tree instantly killing a 41-year-old Australian male teacher who was leading the group from Winthrop Baptist College, a secondary school in Perth, Australia, and two Thai students, said Mr Boonsri.
A teenage youth worker from Perth and a Thai student who were taken to hospital died later, said Mr Boonsri.
