Lightning strikes more villages
Jul 05, 2011
LIGHTNING continued to leave death and destruction in its wake in a recent upsurge of strikes in the country and the region.
By Vision Reporters
LIGHTNING continued to leave death and destruction in its wake in a recent upsurge of strikes in the country and the region.
A pregnant woman was on Sunday evening struck dead by lightning in Pader district. The tragedy occurred at Laparanat, Atiak village, a former internally displaced persons camp.
Christine Amito, 33, was struck dead at about 5:45pm as she walked out of her grass-thatched house to collect water for brewing alcohol.
The LC3 of Angagura sub-county, Livingstone Akute, urged meteorologists to sensitise people on lightning and give them safety tips to reduce the risk of being struck.
On the same day, 13 students of St. Andrea Kaahwa’s college in Hoima district were admitted to Bujumbura Health Centre after they were struck by lightning during a heavy downpour in the night. There were no reported deaths.
The students were in their classrooms at around 8:00pm when the incident occurred.
One of the victims, Joyna Ofundi, a Senior Two student, yesterday narrated from her hospital bed that: “I heard a loud blast and saw a bright flash. I later found myself on the floor paralysed with students fainting around me.â€
Others admitted included Sarah Ahuura, Mwajuma Nyangoma, Shamim Kiiza, Grace Kusemererwa, Doreen Kusiima, Caroline Nnabalaya and Lois Kobusinge.
The victims were female students in Senior Two and Three.
In other incidents, two students were killed on Friday and nine others were injured when lightning struck a primary school in Buikwe district.
The survivors, including seven boys and two girls, sustained minor injuries. They were treated and discharged over the weekend.
In Iganga district, a student of Dynamic Secondary School was killed and another injured when lightning struck during a heavy downpour.
The body of the deceased had lost most of the facial skin and was ashy. The injured girl was rushed to Iganga hospital.
Elsewhere, lightning killed a mother and her seven children in Keiyo, Kenya on Friday night.
The incident occurred when the victims were sleeping in their house. All their property was destroyed.
A neighbour, Moses Kairitio, said he saw sparks and suddenly saw his neighbour’s house on fire.
He rushed to the scene, but was helpless as the fire was too huge to be put out. The house continued burning even in the rain.
Kenya’s rift valley region has one of the highest rates of deaths caused by lightning in the region.
The country has also suffered a wave of fatal lightning strikes in recent weeks during the heavy rains.
In Nigeria, 11 people were killed by lightning in two communities in the northern part of the country during torrential rains last week, Red Cross and local officials said.
Complied by Steven Candia, George Bita, Robert Atuhairwe, Dennis Ojwee, Jordan Mubangizi
and agencies
LIGHTNING continued to leave death and destruction in its wake in a recent upsurge of strikes in the country and the region.
A pregnant woman was on Sunday evening struck dead by lightning in Pader district. The tragedy occurred at Laparanat, Atiak village, a former internally displaced persons camp.
Christine Amito, 33, was struck dead at about 5:45pm as she walked out of her grass-thatched house to collect water for brewing alcohol.
The LC3 of Angagura sub-county, Livingstone Akute, urged meteorologists to sensitise people on lightning and give them safety tips to reduce the risk of being struck.
On the same day, 13 students of St. Andrea Kaahwa’s college in Hoima district were admitted to Bujumbura Health Centre after they were struck by lightning during a heavy downpour in the night. There were no reported deaths.
The students were in their classrooms at around 8:00pm when the incident occurred.
One of the victims, Joyna Ofundi, a Senior Two student, yesterday narrated from her hospital bed that: “I heard a loud blast and saw a bright flash. I later found myself on the floor paralysed with students fainting around me.â€
Others admitted included Sarah Ahuura, Mwajuma Nyangoma, Shamim Kiiza, Grace Kusemererwa, Doreen Kusiima, Caroline Nnabalaya and Lois Kobusinge.
The victims were female students in Senior Two and Three.
In other incidents, two students were killed on Friday and nine others were injured when lightning struck a primary school in Buikwe district.
The survivors, including seven boys and two girls, sustained minor injuries. They were treated and discharged over the weekend.
In Iganga district, a student of Dynamic Secondary School was killed and another injured when lightning struck during a heavy downpour.
The body of the deceased had lost most of the facial skin and was ashy. The injured girl was rushed to Iganga hospital.
Elsewhere, lightning killed a mother and her seven children in Keiyo, Kenya on Friday night.
The incident occurred when the victims were sleeping in their house. All their property was destroyed.
A neighbour, Moses Kairitio, said he saw sparks and suddenly saw his neighbour’s house on fire.
He rushed to the scene, but was helpless as the fire was too huge to be put out. The house continued burning even in the rain.
Kenya’s rift valley region has one of the highest rates of deaths caused by lightning in the region.
The country has also suffered a wave of fatal lightning strikes in recent weeks during the heavy rains.
In Nigeria, 11 people were killed by lightning in two communities in the northern part of the country during torrential rains last week, Red Cross and local officials said.
Complied by Steven Candia, George Bita, Robert Atuhairwe, Dennis Ojwee, Jordan Mubangizi
and agencies