Around 50 individuals had gathered in the church at Palabek refugee camp in northern Uganda on Saturday evening as a heavy storm swept through the area.
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The lightning struck the church’s metal roof, resulting in the deaths of 14 people, including five girls and nine boys between the ages of 14 and 18, according to William Komech, resident district commissioner for the Lamwo region.
“There are several injured who are being admitted to health centres,” he added.
The refugees in the camp primarily belong to the Nuer community from 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.
Uganda has experienced multiple fatal lightning incidents in recent years.
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In 2011, a lightning strike at a primary school claimed the lives of at least 18 students. Another tragic incident in August 2020 saw nine teenagers killed by lightning.
In February 2020, an apparent lightning strike also killed four endangered mountain gorillas in Mgahinga National Park in southwestern Uganda.
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