{"id":14226,"date":"2007-08-17T23:07:53","date_gmt":"2007-08-18T06:07:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2007\/08\/17\/lightning-kills-499-in-china-this-year-reuters\/"},"modified":"2007-08-17T23:07:53","modified_gmt":"2007-08-18T06:07:53","slug":"lightning-kills-499-in-china-this-year-reuters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2007\/08\/lightning-kills-499-in-china-this-year-reuters\/","title":{"rendered":"Lightning Kills 499 in China This Year – Reuters"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n<\/a> \nAll of the victims were villagers, and 79 percent were working in the fields when they were struck, the official Xinhua news agency said on Friday. About two-thirds died between late June and mid-August.<\/p>\n Large swathes of China have been hit this summer by severe storms and flooding, which have killed hundreds. Other parts have suffered prolonged drought. <\/em>[Full Text]<\/a><\/em>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \nThe article quotes Zheng Guoguang, head of the China Meteorological Association, as blaming this year’s increase in violent weather on global warming.\n<\/p>\n
\n
The number of lightning-related deaths is nearly double what it was this time last year. Via CNN.com:\n<\/p>\n