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23rd October 2023
Zimbabwe
By Staff Reporter
FOUR minor children of the same family from Buhera were struck dead by lightning last week in a sad incident that shocked the local community.
Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) national spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, confirmed the incident decimated the Hara family of Murambinda, Buhera.
“ZRP confirms the death of four siblings, Wilfred (9 months), Melinda (5), Michael (5) and Mavis (11) after the thatched hut they were sleeping with their mother Evernice Takaedzwa (31) was struck by a bolt of lightning resulting in the hut catching fire on 16 October 2023 at around 0200hours,” said Nyathi.
The mother reportedly escaped and sought help from neighbours, who unfortunately could not extinguish the fire.
As a result, the bodies of the four trapped minor victims were badly burnt in the inferno.
Later as the fire faded away, rescuers created a hole on the walls of the collapsed hut and managed to retrieve the remains.
In an unrelated incident in Chireya, Gokwe on the same day, two-year-old Elvis Sikhosana died after the house he occupied collapsed due to a hailstorm that hit the area.
Nyathi said ZRP was saddened by the loss of lives and, as the rain season approaches, urged members of the public to follow lightning safety precautions such as avoiding open spaces and seeking refuge under tall objects.
