Tragedy in poor hometown: 3 workers were struck by lightning and died

(Baonghean.vn) - On the morning of October 5, the bodies of three workers who died in a lightning strike at the Thuong Song Ong hydropower project (Ninh Thuan province) were returned to their hometown in Dien Lam commune (Dien Chau district).

On the fateful afternoon of October 3, a tragic lightning strike occurred at the Thuong Song Ong hydropower project in Quang Son commune, Ninh Son district (Ninh Thuan province), killing three workers and injuring two others. The victims, all residing in Dien Lam commune, were hired as workers by the construction unit, Thanh Dat Construction Joint Stock Company (headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City).

Luong Ngoc Anh's parents were like soulless people when their son died from a lightning strike.

The two injured people are currently being treated at Ninh Son District General Hospital, Nguyen Van Viet (28 years old) and Le Van Phi (27 years old). Having just recovered from the lightning strike, Viet quickly called his wife in his hometown to inform her of the tragic incident.

More than a month ago, Mr. Viet and a group of 12 workers in Dien Lam commune followed a contractor in the hamlet to work as workers at the Thuong Song Ong hydropower project (Ninh Thuan province).

On the afternoon of October 3, a lightning strike during a sudden thunderstorm killed three workers taking shelter in a camp, including Luong Ngoc Anh (25 years old), Nguyen Van Trong (32 years old) and Le Van Hai (21 years old) - all residing in Dien Lam commune (Dien Chau district).

Mr. Dau Van Dung - head of hamlet 10 Nam Lam (Dien Lam commune) shared: "Never before has our locality had to hold a funeral for all 3 people who died from lightning strikes in one day like today. They were the main breadwinners of the family, and due to difficult circumstances, they had to work for a living, but we did not expect them to die in a foreign land like this."

In an empty house located on the edge of a windy hill, the family of Mr. Luong Ngoc Anh (25 years old, residing in Hamlet 10 Nam Lam, Dien Lam Commune) is preparing for the funeral. Neighbors came to stretch a tarpaulin full of holes to prevent rainwater from falling on the coffin placed in the middle of the yard.

Born into a farming family, Anh suffered from a congenital defect in her left leg since childhood, making it difficult for her to walk. Anh's mother, Ho Thi Dao (53 years old), is not mentally sharp while Anh's father, Luong Ngoc Que (57 years old), is disabled, so the family's income depends on 4 sao of contracted rice fields, which are sometimes profitable and sometimes not in the low-lying areas.

Feeling sorry for her parents' hardships, after graduating from high school, Anh applied for a job, doing whatever job anyone hired her to do. After 7 years of hard work, the money Anh sent home to take care of her sick parents was still lacking.

With a dazed face after two sleepless nights waiting for his younger brother's body, Mr. Luong Ngoc Duong (33 years old, Anh's older brother) sobbed and said: "Last time, right after the harvest, Anh asked to work as a construction worker with a group of workers in the commune. He said that at the end of this year, he would save enough money to come back to repair the dilapidated house and take his mother to get medical treatment..." Late in the afternoon of October 3, hearing the terrible news that his younger brother had died tragically in the camp because of a lightning strike, Mr. Duong felt weak in the knees.

Not far from Anh's house, the family of Nguyen Van Trong (32 years old, residing in Hamlet 3 Nam Lam, Dien Lam Commune) is also preparing to hold a funeral. Since hearing the bad news that her husband died from a lightning strike, Vu Thi Long (31 years old) has been fainting and had to be helped up.

The family is saddened by the sudden passing of Nguyen Van Trong.

More than a month ago, Mr. Trong and his brothers in the commune took a bus to Ninh Thuan to work for hire and told Ms. Long to work hard so that at the end of the year they could have a decent Tet in their new home. “Who would have thought that would be the last time he would be away from his mother and children. The disaster was so sudden, I don’t know where his two young children and wife will depend on,” Mr. Nguyen Van Khanh, Mr. Trong’s relative, sadly said. Holding her two children, one 4 years old and the other just 1 year old, in white mourning gold, in her arms, Ms. Long burst into tears next to her husband’s coffin. “Honey, how could you leave us like that…”

It is known that after the incident, Quang Son Hydropower Joint Stock Company, the representative of the investor of the Thuong Song Ong Hydropower project, supported 20 million VND to the three families of the deceased to arrange funerals. In addition, after the incident, the Ninh Son District People's Committee also visited and supported 2 million VND/dead person and 1 million VND/injured person.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Hau - Secretary of the Dien Lam Commune Party Committee said: "In the immediate future, the local government will work with the victims' families to take care of the funerals, and organizations and associations will visit and encourage the families to soon overcome difficulties and stabilize their lives."

Doan Hoa