Tragic Lightning Strike Claims 14 Lives At Prayer Service In Uganda Refugee Camp

A lightning strike killed 14 people during a prayer service in a refugee camp in Uganda on Saturday, authorities in the East African nation reported.

The incident occurred in northern Uganda’s Lamwo district, where a gathering of worshippers was struck, leaving 34 others injured, according to a statement from local police released on Sunday.

"The victims, yet to be identified, had gathered for prayers when the rain started around 5:00 PM, and the lightning struck at 5:30 PM," said Kituuma Rusoke, a spokesperson for the police force, in a social media post.

The tragedy unfolded at the Palabek refugee camp, situated on Uganda’s border with South Sudan. The camp houses around 80,000 people, mostly refugees who have fled ongoing instability in South Sudan since the country’s civil war formally ended in 2020.

Lightning strikes are not uncommon across Africa’s central belt and have occasionally led to deadly incidents in Uganda. In 2020, ten children lost their lives in a lightning strike in northwestern Uganda, and in 2011, another tragic strike claimed the lives of 18 children and their teacher.

This latest incident highlights the ongoing vulnerability of communities in this region to such natural hazards.

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