Three people have been killed and several others injured after they were struck by lightning during a visit to Cambodia’s famous Angkor Wat temple complex.

They group had been seeking shelter around the main temple of the UNESCO site when the lightning strike happened late on Friday afternoon.

Video posted on social media showed two ambulances arriving in the aftermath and onlookers and site officials carrying some of the injured people and helping others out on foot.

Other images showed multiple people being treated in hospital.

The day after the incident, Cambodia’s Minister of Tourism Hout Hak issued a statement telling people to take down online posts about the incident, saying the spreading of “negative information” could harm the country’s tourism sector.

Authorities have released no information about the strike, but an official on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, confirmed to the Associated Press that the three people killed were all Cambodian nationals.

The Cambodian Red Cross also posted an update saying it had delivered care packages to the families of two of the victims, a 34-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman.

The Red Cross refused to comment further by phone.

A spokesman for the Angkor Wat site did not respond to requests for comment, nor did a regional health official.

Angkor Wat is Cambodia’s best-known tourist attraction, attracting some 2.5 million visitors annually and is featured prominently on the country’s flag.

UNESCO calls the site, which sprawls across some 400 square kilometres and contains the ruins of Khmer Empire capitals from the 9th to the 15th centuries, one of the most important archaeological sites in Southeast Asia.

Cambodia has been actively developing the area to attract more visitors, including opening a new $1.1 billion (€890 million) Chinese-funded airport in nearby Siem Reap.

Its move to relocate some 10,000 families squatting in the Angkor Wat area to a new settlement has drawn widespread criticism from human rights groups and UNESCO itself has also expressed concern.

Cambodian authorities have said the families are being voluntarily relocated, but Amnesty International and other groups have questioned how voluntary those relocations have been.

Tourists have been caught smuggling all kinds of stolen souvenirs home from holidays, from artefacts picked up in Pompeii to sand from Italy’s famous pink beach on the island of Sardinia.

The Belgian city of Bruges is the latest victim of keepsake crime, but the item visitors have taken a fancy to is unexpected.

The city council has reported the theft of dozens of cobblestones from the city centre, and suspects tourists are the culprits.

Tourists suspected of pilfering Bruges’ cobblestones

Bruges’ cobblestones are increasingly being pilfered from well-known spots in the UNESCO-designated historic centre, public property councillor Franky Demon reported this week.

“At iconic locations such as Minnewater, Vismarkt, Markt and Gruuthusemuseum, it is estimated that 50 to 70 pieces of cobblestone disappear every month. And that number could be even higher,” Demon told press.

“The phenomenon increases significantly, especially during busy tourist periods such as spring and summer,” he added.

For this reason, authorities suspect visitors are pocketing the stone as souvenirs.

‘Leave that cobblestone where it belongs’

As well as damaging a valuable part of the city’s heritage, the stolen stones have created safety issues.

The gaps from removed stones present trip hazards for pedestrians – and are costly to repair.

“It’s unfortunate that our employees constantly have to go out to fix potholes and loose stones. This causes a lot of additional work and costs: about 200 euros per square metre of reconstruction,” explained Demon.

The councillor urged visitors to respect the historical environment of Bruges.

“We simply ask for respect. Anyone walking through Bruges crosses centuries of history. Leave that cobblestone where it belongs,” he said.

Bruges’ cobblestones are apparently not the only sought-after street souvenir.

Along the famous Paris-Roubaix cycling route, tourists are known to pilfer parts of the pavement.

While Rome’s iconic ‘sampietrini’ – cobblestones made of solidified lava – have also disappeared into suitcases over the years.

This weekend, residents of Spain’s Canary Islands are coming out in force to protest against mass tourism.

People on the archipelago have been growing increasingly vocal about its struggles with visitor numbers.

Last year, locals held multiple protests to highlight overtourism’s strain on local infrastructure and housing availability. They look set to continue again this summer as residents say little has been done to tackle the problem.

Protests planned across Spain against overtourism

On Sunday, 18 May, residents of the Canary Islands will take to the streets to join protests organised by campaign group Canarias tiene un límite (The Canary Islands have a limit).

Demonstrations will be held on all the islands of the archipelago as well as in several cities across Spain.

Protests will begin at 11 am on the seven main Canary Islands – El Hierro, La Palma, La gomera, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura – and at 12pm on mainland cities including Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia.

Residents in the German capital of Berlin are also planning to take to the streets in solidarity.

Why are residents of the Canary Islands protesting?

The organisers say they are protesting to oppose the current economic model “based on overtourism, speculation, inequality and the infinite growth on very limited land”.

Instead, they want a transition to a people-centred, environmentally responsible model that respects the archipelago’s ecological and social needs.

Specifically, they are calling for a halt to destructive hotel projects across the islands and the building of a motor circuit on Tenerife; a moratorium on new tourist developments; guaranteed access for residents to healthcare and housing; and a functional ecological tourist tax.

The group also wants the immediate introduction of measures to curb marine pollution and the creation of an environmental restoration law.

Canary Islands receive record number of tourists in March

Earlier this month, authorities announced that the Canary Islands received more than 1.55 million foreign visitors in March, up 0.9 per cent on the record set in the same month last year.

The figures were released by the Canary Islands National Statistics Institute (INE), which added that the total number of international tourists for the first quarter of 2025 was 4.36 million, an increase of 2.1 per cent year-on-year.

The tourist influx comes despite dozens of protests staged last year by Canary Island residents against mass tourism.

Similar demonstrations have already taken place this year. Over Easter, around 80,000 hospitality workers in Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro walked out in a dispute with unions over pay.