A pupil was killed while four others including a teacher were hurt in a lightning strike at the SK Mazuin school field in Kuala Kangsar yesterday.

The victim, Muhammad Syafiq Mohd Tajul Ariffin, 11, and his three schoolmates, Muhammad Izhar Iskandar Jamaluddin, 10, Anwar Azllin, 12, and Nor Arifah Fatimah, 12, and archery teacher Azizul Rahman Ismail, 31, had just completed their archery training when the lightning struck at 5.30pm.

Kuala Kangsar OCPD Supt Abdul Ghaffar Mohamad said Muhammad Syafiq died on the spot. The others were rushed to the Kuala Kangsar Hospital for treatment.

“Muhammad Syafiq died from serious injuries all over the body. The rest are in a stable condition,” he said when contacted today.

There was a drizzle shortly after the training before it started raining heavily, forcing the students to take refuge under a shed at the edge of the field before the lightning struck.

Meanwhile, Azizul Rahman, who taught Mathematics, said he was packing his equipment under the shed and was planning to brief his eight charges on preparations for an archery tournament later this month when the incident occurred.

“I fainted and when I regained my consciousness, I realised that I was lying at the edge of the field. My legs became cramped and numbed.

“I cried and asked the medical team to treat the pupils first. I feel guilty about the incident,” he told reporters at the Kuala Kangsar Hospital today.

Besides the archery team, the school’s footballers were also undergoing training at the field yesterday afternoon.

Muhammad Shafiq’s father, Mohd Tajul Arifin Shahruddin, 40, said normally the pupils were allowed to go home early by their archery teacher if there was a downpour.

“I waited for my son, but he did not return home. I used to go to the school to watch him training, but not yesterday,” he said when met at his house in Kampung Kuala Dal in Kuala Kangsar.

Muhammad Shafiq was buried at the Kampung Kuala Dal Muslim Cemetery at 11.30am.

Meanwhile, Muhammad Izhar, who scalded his left ankle, said the incident had dampened his spirit to continue participating in archery and he wanted to switch to chess.

“It was drizzling as we were about to go home after the archery training. But when it started raining heavily, we took a shelter under a shed at the edge of the field before the lightning struck,” he said when met at his house in Kampung Pakri.

Headmaster Mohd Jamaai Ahmad said he had sent a report on the incident to the district education office and the students affected and their families would be given counselling to restore their confidence.

- Bernama