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Man killed, two hurt by lightning
From The New Straits Times dated 27 April 2006

Kuala Lumpur : Lightning wreaked havoc during a thunderstorm yesterday, killing a man, injuring two others besides setting a house in another area ablaze.

Flash floods cut off several roads in the capital after the downpour, causing scores of vehicles to be stranded. Among roads hit were Jalan Sultan Ismail, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Maharajalela, Jalan Loke Yew, the Sungei Besi roundabout and Jalan Bangsar. In the first lightning incident, construction site supervisor Rezaman Bujang, 32, died after lightning struck a shed where he has sought shelter at 3.45pm at the Jalan Timur field near the Federal Highway.

He had been riding his motorcycle from Petaling Jaya to Sungai Buloh when rain started. He stopped at the field where he sought shelter with tow Indonesians. Rezaman was killed on the spot while the Indonesians were warded at the University Malaya Medical Center. Rezaman’s wife Zuraidah Ahmad, 32, said she last saw her husband in the afternoon when they had lunch with their two children Natasha, six and Mohd Haikal, four.

“I received a phone call from his colleague who told me my husband had an accident,” said the sales co-ordinator in Bandar Sunway. She said as they worked near each other, they decided to head home to Taman Datuk Harun for lunch with their children. “I did not think that would be the last time I would see him,” she said.

In the other incident, a three-storey bungalow in Damansara Heights owned by former Federal CID director Datuk Yahya Yeop Ishak, 73, is believed to have been destroyed after lightning struck the home. The Gamuda Holdings director received a phone call from his maid about 3.30m telling him the house was on fire. His wife and fellow former senior police officer, Datuk Zakiah Laidin, son, Hasni, a daughter-in-law, for grandchildren and four maids were in the house when it caught fire. They escaped without injury.

The lightning strike is believed to have caused a short circuit in a bedroom, razing the house in minutes. City Fire & Rescue Department senior operations commander Anuar Harun said the fire was brought under control in 25 minutes by 48 firemen from the Jalan Hang Tuah, Sentul and Sri Hartamas fire stations.

“About 80% of the third floor was destroyed while the first and second floors did not suffer from extensive damage,” he said. Yahya, who was not at home at the time, was thankful no one was hurt when the fire broke out. “I told my maid to make sure everyone got out,” said Yahya, who retired from the police force in 1987.