Boy killed by lightning strike in Magwi

An eight-year-old boy was killed in a lightning bolt during a storm in Lobone Payam of Magwi County on Tuesday noon, authorities said, adding it is the second such death in the area in less than two months.

The incident happened when the children were playing outside at the onset of a powerful storm before a heavy downpour.

Lobone Payam Administrator Okee Joseph said the boy died on spot while the other children didn’t sustain any injuries.

Okee said the lightning fatality is the second incident in the area in two months after a 27-year-old man was killed by such natural occurrence while returning from a funeral place in Lobone Boma.

“It happened around 3pm, when the heavy rain came. Before the heavy rain, it started with thunder,” he narrated in an interview with Eye Radio.

“when the thunder struck, it killed a child of eight years a male child in a family of a man called Odey who is now at a training in Torit for wildlife.”

“The other children were safe. They didn’t get any injury. Only that child who was struck and died immediately and this incident is happening for the second time.”

A lightning strike, or lightning bolt, is a natural electrical discharge that occurs between the atmosphere and the ground.

People can protect themselves from lighting strikes by seeking shelter, avoiding open structures, staying dry, and be far away from windows during storms.

Also stay low and avoid sheltering under tall objects like trees, towers and poles when sheltering from rain as these objects are more likely to be struck by lightning.