Around 4 PM, following a loud clap of thunder, a motorcycle with a Hung Yen province license plate carrying two people crashed on the Long Bien - Xuan Quan dike. The male driver was thrown clear. The 26-year-old female passenger fell onto the road and died at the scene.

Vu Ngoc Anh, who lives 300 meters from the scene, said the sky was overcast with thunderclouds and light rain. "I was sitting inside when I heard several thunderclaps, including one extremely loud one that shook the whole house," Anh said.

When Anh ran to the scene, she saw the victim's helmet was scorched and split in two. A nearby passenger bus had stalled.

The scene of the suspected lightning strike on 1/9. Photo: Ngoc Anh

Earlier, at 2:45 PM the same day, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting issued a warning for thunderstorms, lightning, hail, and localized heavy rain within Hanoi. Monitoring satellite and weather radar imagery, the center observed convective clouds developing over Thuan An and Phu Dong communes and Phuc Loi, Viet Hung, Bo De, and Long Bien wards.

The cloud formation was expanding towards Hanoi's inner city. The meteorological agency warned that within 30 minutes to three hours, Phuc Loi, Viet Hung, Bo De, and Long Bien wards would experience thunderstorms, followed by Hong Ha, Ba Dinh, Hoan Kiem, Ngoc Ha, Tay Ho, and Giang Vo wards.

Gia Chinh