16 Dead, Several Others Injured, As Thunder Strikes During Church Service.

illustration

Not less than 16 persons have been reported dead at the Seventh-Day Adventist church in Rwanda, following a thunder strike during a church program.


Speaking to Agence France-Presse , AFP, mayor of  Nyaruguru district in the Southern Province, Habitegeko Fracois, explained that among the deceased, 14 were confirmed dead on the spot, while 2 others gave up before arriving at the emergency unit of a nearby hospital.

He went further to explain that a total of 140 people were affected by the incident, some transported to nearby hospitals and health centres with minor injuries, most  of which has since been discharged from the hospital.
 While a few others who sustained serious injuries have been stabilised and currently responding to treatment.


In a similar incident that occurred on Friday, 18 students were struck down by lightening, 17 were lucky to be alive, sustaining minor injuries, one of the students was reported to have died on the spot, said Habitegeko.

He reiterated that Lightening is a major cause of deaths in Rwanda with an increase in deaths associated with Lightening in the most recent years.

According to Rwanda’s Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs, about 30 lives were lost as a result of lightening, with 61 persons sustaining various degrees of injuries, and 48 livestock killed in 2016.