Father holds son tight after being struck by lightning and dies in bed

(Baonghean.vn) - At 4:00 a.m. on October 4, in Xuan Dung hamlet, Thanh Xuan commune, Thanh Chuong district, a tragic lightning strike occurred. Nguyen Huu Dinh and his son were sleeping when they were struck and killed by lightning.

» Nghe An: Father and son were struck to death by lightning while sleeping

The house of Mr. Dinh's family - the victim who died from a lightning strike. Photo: Huy Thu

The small house of Dinh and his wife at the foot of La La mountain was filled with an atmosphere of mourning. Many local people came to express their condolences upon hearing the news. Mr. Nguyen Huu Truong - Dinh's father sat absent-mindedly on the bed, burdened with the pain of losing his son and grandchild. Mrs. Phan Thi An - Dinh's mother cried and cried, pitying her gentle but ill-fated son.

Mr. Phan Van Tam (41 years old) - a relative of the victim said that last night, Mr. Nguyen Huu Dinh (28 years old) and his two children: Nguyen Thi Tam (6 years old) and Nguyen Hai Yen (4 years old) slept in the outside room of the house, while Ms. Cao Thi Hoai (31 years old) - Mr. Dinh's wife and their youngest child Nguyen Tuong Vy, only 3 months old, slept in the inside room.

At 4:50 a.m., when the deafening thunder broke out, Mr. Dinh and his niece Yen were struck to death by lightning in bed.

Mr. Phan Van Tam said: “After the thunder, I heard my brothers calling. When I arrived, I saw Dinh holding his child, who had been struck by lightning, lying on the bed. We quickly covered him with a blanket and called the doctor to come and treat him, but it was too late.”

Dinh's relatives were stunned and in pain. Photo: Huy Thu

Dinh's family situation is very difficult. Dinh married and moved to live near home, and worked for local tea factories every day to earn money to support his wife and children. His wife, Hoai, suffered from ovarian cysts, was always sick and weak, unable to do heavy work, and had to go to the hospital frequently.

His family is considered poor. Because their house was still in a dilapidated state, before storm No. 10 arrived, Dinh's parents let him, his wife, and their children stay with them to get through the storm safely, but unexpectedly, they met with an accident last night.

The story of both father and son being struck by lightning at night has caused grief and sympathy for all the people in this poor countryside. Already poor and suffering from natural disasters, Ms. Hoai's pain of losing her husband and child seems to be even more intense. The youngest child, 3 months old, is lying in the house, crying for his mother, while his father and sister are covered with a mat in the outside house waiting for the burial. It is a painful image that makes it difficult to hold back tears when coming to express condolences to the victim's family at this time.

An electric pole 500 meters from Mr. Dinh's house was struck by lightning and the meter was broken. Photo: Huy Thu

The walls of Dinh and his wife's house as well as the walls of his parents' house next door were struck by lightning, some places collapsed, the electrical panel in the house was damaged. The electric pole near Ho Chi Minh road, 500m from Dinh's house, was struck by lightning, breaking the meter. The power line from this pole leading to his house was almost completely broken, many sections of wire were scattered along the way.

Huy Thu