Lightning strikes Angkor Wat temple, injuring many tourists
May 17, 2025
Phnom Penh [Cambodia], May 17: A lightning strike at the Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia's Siem Reap province has left several people injured, according to the Khmer Times.
Lightning struck the Angkor Wat temple complex at around 5 p.m. on May 16, when many tourists and locals were gathered at the temple, according to Khmer Times .
According to preliminary reports, the victims were Cambodians from the capital Phnom Penh and Cambodia 's Kampot province , as well as local residents.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene and took the injured to nearby hospitals, according to Khmer Times .
Angkor Wat, built between the 9th and 15th centuries, is Cambodia's top tourist attraction and a major source of revenue for the country.
In the first three months of 2025, Cambodia earned nearly $19 million in revenue from ticket sales to Angkor, Koh Ker Temple, and Chong Khneas Tourist Port, according to a press release on statistics on foreign tourists buying tickets to visit Angkor Wat released by state-owned Angkor Enterprise on April 1, according to Khmer Times .
Specifically, from January to March, nearly 400,000 foreign tourists bought tickets to visit Angkor Archaeological Park and Koh Ker Temple, up 14.67% and generating revenue of 18,718,722 USD, up 13.22% over the same period in 2024.
Also in the above 3 months, the Cambodian government donated a total of 797,062 USD to Kantha Bopha hospital from ticket sales for foreign tourists visiting the Angkor relic site, according to Khmer Times .
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
