Two fishermen killed as lightning hits sampan off North Sumatra
A lightning strike on a fishing sampan off North Sumatra's Serdang Bedagai regency killed two men early Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. Three others survived, including a 21-year-old who was found unconscious and remains under treatment at home.
Five men aboard the sampan
Survivor Jong Kawadi said the five fishermen had cast their nets and were resting aboard the anchored sampan when lightning struck at about 3:30 a.m. local time. They were in Tuasan Tamban waters, roughly nine nautical miles off the Serdang Bedagai coast.
Heavy rain, lightning and strong winds were affecting the area, according to Tanjung Beringin Police sub-precinct chief Adj. Comr. Syawalludin. During a visit to the victims' homes on Thursday, he said two men had been killed and one of the three survivors was in critical condition.
Victims identified as police gather accounts
The men killed were Ahmad Tahir, 35, and Khamsani, 24, both from Pekan Tanjung Beringin village in Tanjung Beringin district. Waspada.id identified Khamsani as the sampan's tekong, or skipper, and gave Tahir's residence more specifically as Dusun I Keramat Asam in Pekan village, Serdang Bedagai.
Abdul Rahim, 21, was found unconscious and is still receiving treatment at his house. The other two survivors, Jong Kawadi, 48, and Dila, 40, are from Buantan village.
Police said they were continuing to collect information from Jong and Dila to determine the exact circumstances of the deaths.
After the incident, fishermen in Tanjung Beringin district opted to remain ashore amid the heavy rain and strong winds. They decided not to return to sea until the weather improved.
Severe-weather deaths and lightning records
The environmental organization WALHI, citing official data, reported that severe weather killed 87 Indonesian fishermen in 2010. By 2020, the reported figure had reached 251.
Separately, Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) logged more than 10.3 million lightning strikes in West Java in 2024, according to Indonesian National Police news. November had the year's most intense lightning activity in the province. BMKG warned that cloud-to-ground lightning is the most dangerous type and can be fatal.