Lightning strike killed one, injured others in Tanzania
By Bisola Adeyemo
Tanzania’s southern highlands region of Katavi, has witnessed a lightning strike which killed one and injured another on Sunday.
Ally Makame, the Katavi regional police commander in Tanzania who confirmed the incident, also said the lightning strike that hit Tulieni village in Mpanda district on Saturday evening also burned two houses to ashes.
“The girl was inside one of the houses that were struck by lightning. She died on the spot,” Makame told a news conference.
He said the lightning strike followed a heavy downpour that was accompanied by strong winds in the area.
Meanwhile, two herders sustained serious injuries when a tree under which they took shelter from rain fell after it was struck by lightning.
“The two herdsmen took cover under the tree in Ololosokwan village in Ngorongoro district in Tanzania’s northern region of Arusha,” said Justine Masejo, the Arusha regional police commander.
Masejo said the two herders were using their cell phones when the lightning struck the tree on Saturday afternoon, adding that none of the livestock they were herding was injured.