No fewer than 14 people, including several children, have been killed by lightning in a Ugandan Refugee Camp. The tragedy occurred when lightning hit a makeshift Church where the people were sheltering, local officials said Sunday.
It stated that about 50 people took shelter in the Church in Palabek Refugee Camp in northern Uganda on Saturday evening when a heavy storm hit the area.
“Fourteen people died when lightning hit its metal roof. Among those struck included five girls and nine boys aged between 14 and 18, said William Komech, Resident District Commissioner for Lamwo region.
“There are several injured who are being admitted to health centres,” Komech added.
According to the report, the refugees were mostly from the Nuer Community of South Sudan.
“The Government is working with UNHCR and other agencies are providing the necessary assistance to the survivors,” Hillary Onek, Uganda’s Minister for refugees and disaster preparedness, told AFP.
“The Government team is already on the ground helping to deliver the bodies to their respective families,” he added.
Recall that Uganda has suffered several lightning-related deaths in recent years.
In 2011, a lightning strike at a primary school killed at least 18 students. And nine teenagers were killed in an incident in August 2020.
In February 2020, four endangered mountain gorillas were killed. They were killed by an apparent lightning strike in Mgahinga National Park in southwest Uganda.
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