A fatal lightning strike hit Pasir Ris Beach on July 5 at about 4:46 p.m., killing 24-year-old Mikhail Benyamin, who was paddleboarding and kayaking in the area, authorities confirmed [1, 2]. The incident occurred even though the main thunderstorm cloud was still several kilometres away from the beach at the time [3, 1, 2].
Mikhail Benyamin was brought ashore unconscious and taken to Sengkang General Hospital, where he later died [1, 2]. Six other people aged 13 to 54 were also taken to hospital conscious following the strike [1, 2].
Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) recorded 1,569 lightning strikes across Singapore and surrounding regions on that day [3, 1, 2]. Thunderstorms first developed near Yishun in northern Singapore around 3:20 p.m. and moved northwestwards during the afternoon [3, 1, 2]. By about 4:30 p.m., storms developed near Punggol and moved westward, away from Pasir Ris, before intensifying over the Straits of Johor [3, 1, 2].
MSS explained a lightning strike occurred at Pasir Ris beach while the main thunderstorm cloud remained several kilometres away. "Lightning can strike a distance away from the main thunderstorm cloud even when there are no showers," it said [1]. Lightning can travel up to 10 kilometres from the storm cloud [3, 1, 2].
Witnesses reported clear skies at the time, and no lightning warning siren had been activated before the strike [3, 1, 2]. MSS provides lightning alerts through its myENV app, which notifies subscribed users depending on their settings [3, 1, 2].
Authorities were alerted to the lightning strike incident by 4:50 p.m. on July 5 [1, 2]. Investigation and safety messaging continue as the community mourns the loss.
Emergency responders and MSS continue to monitor weather conditions and issue alerts to the public to avoid outdoor activities when lightning risk is detected.
