KAMPALA: At least 14 people, including several children, were killed in a Ugandan refugee camp when lightning struck a makeshift church where they were sheltering, local officials said Sunday.
Around 50 people took shelter in the church in Palabek refugee camp in northern Uganda on Saturday evening, where dozens had gathered to escape the heavy rain.
William Komech, the resident district commissioner for the Lamwo region, confirmed the fatalities, noting that the victims included nine boys and five girls, all between the ages of 14 and 18. “There are several injured who are being admitted to health centers,” Komech told AFP, adding that the lightning struck the church’s metal roof, causing fatal injuries to those inside.
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The victims were refugees from South Sudan’s Nuer community, many of whom fled conflict and hardship in their homeland only to face this tragedy. The Palabek settlement, located close to the South Sudan border, is home to thousands of refugees who continue to face hardships due to limited resources and infrastructure.
Uganda’s Minister for Refugees and Disaster Preparedness, Hillary Onek, expressed deep sorrow over the incident, stating that the government is collaborating with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other agencies to provide support to survivors and bereaved families. “The government team is already on the ground helping to deliver the bodies to their respective families,” Onek said.
The tragedy adds to Uganda’s history of lightning-related fatalities, as the country has seen several similar incidents in recent years. In 2011, a lightning strike at a primary school killed at least 18 students. More recently, in 2020, nine teenagers lost their lives in a similar incident, and four endangered mountain gorillas were killed by a lightning strike in Mgahinga National Park.
