Tragedy as lightning strikes refugee camp, kills 14

In a tragic incident in northern Uganda, 14 people, including children, lost their lives after a lightning strike hit a church within the Palabek refugee camp.

The incident took place on Saturday evening as approximately 50 refugees, primarily from the Nuer community of South Sudan, gathered for a church service.

The storm, which struck the metal-roofed structure, left 14 dead—among them five girls and nine boys aged between 14 and 18. Authorities reported that 34 others sustained injuries and were treated at a nearby health center.

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“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.

This is not the first time Uganda has faced several lightning-related deaths. A strike at a primary school killed at least 18 students in 2011, and nine teenagers were killed in an incident in August 2020.

In February 2020, four endangered mountain gorillas were killed by an apparent lightning strike in Mgahinga National Park in southwest Uganda.