By Jalelah Abu Bakar
NO ALERTS were sent out before a bolt of lightning struck golfer
Chen Yuk Fu because the thunderstorm it came from was too far
away.
The Meteorological Services Division (MSD) said the strike that
left Mr Chen seriously injured last Saturday originated more than
5km from the Laguna National Golf and Country Club in Changi.
This is outside the radius in which lightning is monitored for
any given area. The freak occurrence meant Laguna had no warning
despite signing up for alerts from MSD.
Mr Chen, a technology firm director, was discharged from Changi
General Hospital yesterday after five days. The 62-year-old had
burns to his head, neck and hand after being struck by lightning
while playing from a very high point at the 18th hole.
The MSD, part of the National Environment Agency, said
thunderstorms, which provide an indication that lightning is about
to strike, had developed mostly in southern and western Singapore
that day.
As a result, there were 63 lightning alerts sent to subscribers
in those areas. But no alerts were issued to Laguna in the east, as
no thunderstorms were expected there.
