PHNOM PENH, Aug. 24 (FN) — Lightning strikes had killed 92 people in Cambodia in the first eight months of 2016, remarkably up from only 64 deaths over the same period last year, a spokesman said Wednesday.

"Besides the fatalities, thunderbolts had injured 99 others during the Jan.-Aug. period this year, up from only 58 injuries over the same period in the year before," Keo Vy, spokesman for the National Committee for Disaster Management, told Xinhua.

He said the extremely hot weather before the rainy season this year was blamed for the rise in lightning casualties.

"Lightning strikes are common during the rainy season (from May to October) but this year, there have been more lightning strikes than usual because of the worst drought in April and May," he said.

He said that to avoid the dangers of lightning, people should stay indoor when there is rain.

According to the spokesman, in addition to lightning casualties,  storms had claimed 15 lives and injured 183 others so far this year.