TEENAGE GOLFER DIES AFTER LIGHTNING STRIKE IN THAILAND

Thai junior golfer Aeyavarin "Aeya" Pradubyart, 15, has died after being struck by lightning during a youth tournament in Chachoengsao province, Thailand. She was hit near the 11th hole of a golf course in Bang Nam Priao district at around 4pm on Sunday. A caddie, named as Saithan, was also injured in the same strike and placed under medical supervision. Rescuers found Aeyavarin unconscious with no vital signs, performed CPR and restored her heartbeat before taking her to Bang Nam Priao Hospital, though her family say her heart had stopped for nearly an hour. She was later transferred to Buddhasothorn Hospital, where she died on Monday.

Her mother, Natcha, said she heard a lightning strike near pine trees at about 3pm, followed by several more strikes, before her daughter was hit an hour later. The family has questioned why officials allowed play to continue despite the earlier strikes, and relatives allege no ambulance was stationed at the course, delaying her transfer to hospital. The tournament was held along Ongkharak-Bang Nam Priao Road in the Don Ko Ka subdistrict, where young competitors and caddies were spread across different holes as the weather deteriorated. Aeyavarin's father travelled back from Myanmar to see her before she died.

Tournament organisers have not publicly explained why play continued after the earlier lightning strikes. The caddie injured in the same strike remains under medical observation, with no further update given on her condition. Aeyavarin's death has prompted her family to call for accountability over the handling of lightning warnings and the absence of on-site emergency transport at the course. No announcement has been made about any formal investigation into the tournament's safety procedures.