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14 people killed when lightning hits church in Uganda

Published:Sunday | November 3, 2024 | 5:45 PM
Contributed / Stock Image.

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Fourteen people were killed in a lightning strike in a refugee camp in northern Uganda, police said Sunday.

The incident happened Saturday in the remote district of Lamwo. Police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke said 34 other people were injured. The victims have not yet been identified, he said.

The residents of the Palabek settlement camp, which primarily houses refugees from South Sudan, had been attending a prayer service in the makeshift metallic structure when the lighting struck.

Deadly lightning is commonly reported in this East African country during the wet seasons. Rusoke said there was no report of fire breaking out following the strike.

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