A refugee camp in mourning.
Uganda: Victims of lightning strike buried
For illustration purposes: The congregation attends a Sunday service at the United Church in Bidi Bidi refugee settlement in northern Uganda on June 4, 2017.
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Ben Curtis/Copyright 2017 The AP. All rights reserved.
Victims of lighting strike in Palabek settlement camp northern Uganda were buried on Sunday (Nov. 03).
They had gathered to pray when the rain started around 5:00 PM Saturday, and the lightning thunder struck half an hour later.
Police identified 14 victims, amongst whom 8 males.
Deadly lightning is commonly reported in Uganda during the wet season.
"From the figures we identified; we had 14 mortalities. And these are people who died on the spot and the age group of 9 to 21, the youngest being a 9-year-old girl, then the eldest being a 21-year-old male.”
Police investigations revealed an absence of anti-lightning infrastructure.
Victims were attending a prayer service in a makeshift metallic structure when the lighting struck.
The deceased are reportedly from neighboring South Sudan.