Relatives of the newly-wed Thais killed by lightning at a scenic spot overlooking the Grand Canyon in the United States have asked the Consul-General in Los Angeles to cremate the couple and send their ashes back to Thailand, Foreign Ministry spokesman Manasvi Srisodapol said on Monday.
Aram Kawewong and his wife, Ratchaya Tantranon, both from Chiang Mai province, were pronounced dead at the scene where they were hit by the lightning bolt on July 23. Both were 30 years old. They were married on July 13.
The spokesman said their relatives had contacted the Consul Department on Monday and to inform officials of their wishes.
The Foreign Ministry will liaise with the Consul-General in Los Angeles to arrange for Coconino County officials in Arizona to proceed with the cremation.
Family members of the victims have asked for privacy in the wake of the incident, and are still suffering from shock, he added.
The lightning bolt struck in the area of the LeFevre Scenic Outlook on state Route 89A in Fredonia, Arizona.
Sheriff's officials released a photograph of the scene that showed a broken rock where the lightning hit.
They said it was believed the couple had been standing on the rock when the lightning struck.
The couple were on a honeymoon trip after Aram, a Chiang Mai University lecturer, presented a paper at a seminar in the US.