Lightning strike kills 11 in Colombia

A lightning strike killed 11 members of an indigenous tribe in northern Colombia Monday after an electrical storm broke out during an early morning ritual.

Helicopters airlifted 13 injured people to hospitals for treatment, Gen. German Saavedra told reporters.

The lightning struck around 3 a.m. Monday during a ritual of the Wiwa community's government in the remote Sierra Nevada mountains, CNN affiliate Caracol TV reported.

Bernardo Gil Moscote, a member of the community, told Colombia's El Tiempo newspaper that villagers were gathered in a ceremonial hut to discuss problems the community was facing. He had stepped out to get a drink when he heard crashing thunder that shook the mountains.

"When I got back, the hut was on fire," he told the newspaper, "and you only heard men screaming."

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos tweeted his condolences and said military and police helicopters were evacuating the victims.

"I know that this is normal, that it is something that comes from nature, but nothing like this has ever happened there," said Marta Cecilia Gil, who tearfully told Caracol her brother and brother-in-law died in the lightning strike.

The region is home to several indigenous communities.

Tuesday 7 October 2014

http://www.news8000.com/news/lightning-strike-kills-11-in-colombia/28981564

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Many dead in DR Congo blast caused by lightning

An explosion at an arms depot in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed at least 20 people, UN officials say.

The explosion happened on Friday after a bolt of lightning caused a fire at an army base in the city of Mbuji-Mayi.

More than 50 people were also injured and houses were destroyed, said the statement by the Monusco UN mission.

The aim of the Monusco is to neutralise armed groups in DR Congo, which is struggling to recover from a war that killed millions between 1998 and 2003.

Friday's blast, which occurred near the main market in Mbuji-Mayi, caused "desolation" in the central city, according to Monusco.

"I have instructed our office in Mbuji-Mayi to stand by and support local authorities in dealing with the situation," said Martin Kobler, head of the peacekeeping mission.

Mbuji-Mayi is DR Congo's third-largest city and is at the heart of the county's diamond mining industry.

DR Congo has massive mineral resources but most of its people live in poverty.

Saturday 26 January 2014

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25900120

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Lightning bolts kill 32 during Indian monsoon

Lightning strikes in India have killed at least 32 people, including nine children.

The deaths occurred in the eastern states of Bihar and Jharkhand which have been hit by torrential rains and strong winds.

Trees were uprooted, houses damaged and power cables brought down across the region.

"About 24 people including seven children were killed Saturday and Sunday by bolts of lightning across Bihar," State Disaster Management Minister Renu Kumari Kushwaha said.

In neighbouring Jharkhand, eight people including two children died, Puran Mahto, an official in the state's Dhanbad district said.

Lightning strikes during the July to October monsoon season are common but the death toll over the weekend was unusually high.

Villagers housed in bamboo and grass huts are generally most at risk.

Monday 7 October 2013

http://news.sky.com/story/1151169/lightning-bolts-kill-32-during-indian-monsoon

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