Video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/884ki2werv5itg9/VRP63542.mp4?dl=0
This is the terrifying moment lightning struck an electricity post during a thunderstorm in Thailand.
CCTV shows the bolt tear down from the sky as rain battered the street in Chachoengsao province on September 8.
The high-voltage cable broke and produced a bright orange flash before food stalls in the area lost electricity.
Electricity board chiefs from the Bang Pakong district rushed to repair the torn high-voltage power lines as local shopkeepers were complaining.
Noodle stall owner Matee Tubtimnet, 44 said: ‘There was no electricity to cook rice for our customers. We had to use a car battery and connect it to a light bulb to look for cooking ingredients.’
Thailand and other countries in Southeast Asia such as Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines are in the middle of their tropical monsoon rainy season, which lasts until October or November. Soaring temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius are often followed by powerful tropical storms with thunder, lightning, rain and flash floods which cause rivers to flow faster and become dangerous.