Lightning strikes two children dead

BUIKWE- Residents of Ndolwa Village in Nkokonjeru Town Council, Buikwe District are in shock after two children who were working in the family garden were killed by lightning during the Monday morning rainfall.
The victims are Masene Kiwuka,15, who has been a Senior One student at Vision Land SS Nkokonjeru, Buikwe District and Lydia Baryana, 14, who recently sat for her Primary Leaving Exam at St Paul Boys Primary School Nkokonjeru.
Mr Fred Clement Karangwa, the father of the girls told Daily Monitor that he last saw his daughters in the company of their mother Ms Oliva Nabwire as they left for the garden in the morning.
“I [later] saw my wife running home crying that our children had been killed by lightning. It is a very big shock to our family. The children had gone to the garden with their mother,” Mr Karangwa said.
Ms Nabwire, said she saw the girls lying on the ground seconds after a loud bang.
“Some residents who came to my rescue pronounced the two girls dead,” Ms Nabwire said.
Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions in the atmosphere or ground temporarily equalise themselves, causing the instantaneous release of as much as one gigajoule of energy.
Mr James Ssekimera, the acting Nkokokonjeru Town Council chairperson said he received the shocking news at about 10:00am during the morning heavy down pour.
“It is sad that we have lost the children.. I advise residents to seek shelter whenever it is raining,” he said.
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