Breaking News: Lightning kills 11 Zululanders
People die in three separate incidents this weekend.
LIGHTNING strikes killed 11 people in Zululand on Saturday.
Eight people attending a traditional ceremony in Nongoma on Saturday were killed in a single incident when lightning struck a rondavel.
According to reports the deceased were participating in a function hosted by a neighbour when a heavy lightning storm moved in.
Guests then took refuge in a rondavel with corrugated iron roofing, but this provided no protection when the lightning bolt struck.
Paramedics from the KZN Emergency Medical Services responded and 17 injured people were rushed to the Benedictine Hospital for medical attention.
Shortly after two more people were struck dead by lightning in Bhanganoma, also near Nongoma, while another person was killed and 12 injured in a lightning strike in Mbazwana.
The KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Nomusa Dube-Ncube, deployed disaster management personnel to respond to the Nongoma incidents and support the affected families.
‘Our hearts go out to the families of the victims and we are doing all we can to offer disaster relief, said Dube-Ncube.
KZN Cogta’s disaster management teams remain on high alert as storms continue to pound the province with increasing intensity, wreaking havoc in communities.
