A 15-year-old golfer, Aeyavarin “Aeya” Pradubyart, died after being struck by lightning during a tournament in Thailand’s Chachoengsao province over the weekend. The incident occurred around 4 p.m. local time near the 11th hole.
Course staff reportedly found Pradubyart unconscious and without vital signs. They administered CPR before transporting her to Bang Nam Priao Hospital, where she died on Monday from severe burns. According to her family, Pradubyart’s heart stopped for nearly an hour before a heartbeat was restored.
A caddie named Saithan was also injured by the lightning strike but sustained less severe injuries.
Pradubyart was a registered member of the Thai Student Golf Union and had won the girls’ Class B event in the first leg of the Junior Asian Tour in March. She was scheduled to compete in more tournaments this year.
Her family has criticized the tournament officials, stating that play should have been suspended immediately when lightning was detected in the area. Pradubyart's mother, Natcha Izy Samitintu, posted on Facebook, urging golf courses and tournament organizers to implement comprehensive safety measures.
"May Aeya’s case be the first and the last of its kind involving a youth golfer," Samitintu wrote. "I urge all golf courses and tournament organizers to implement comprehensive measures – both for prevention and for immediate, effective response to ensure that no one else ever has to suffer such a loss again."
Samitintu recalled seeing lightning strike near pine trees next to the course about an hour before her daughter was struck, yet play continued. Pradubyart's father, who was working in Myanmar at the time, was able to reach the hospital to say goodbye before her death.