At least 16 people were killed and dozens more injured after lightning struck a Seventh-Day Adventist church in Rwanda, a local official said Sunday.
Fourteen victims were killed on the spot as lightning hit the church in the Nyaruguru District in the Southern Province on Saturday, local mayor Habitegeko Francois told AFP over the phone.
Two others died later from their injuries, he said.
He added that 140 people involved in the incident had been rushed to hospital and district health centres, but many had already been discharged.
The weather accident in the mountainous region near the border with Burundi took place around midday on Saturday while parishioners of the town of Gihemvu were at a church service.
“Doctors say that only three of them are in critical condition but they are getting better,” he said.
According to the mayor, a similar accident took place on Friday when lightning struck a group of 18 students, killing one of them.
The deadly church incident comes less than two weeks after the closure of more than 700 Rwandan churches for failing to comply with building regulations and for noise pollution.
AFP
