Lightning Kills 6 Children From One Family, Injures 4
Six children from the same family have been killed and four others injured after lightning struck a tree where they had taken shelter from a heavy thunderstorm.
The incident occurred at about 4 p.m. on Sunday in Dadiri-Tirgali village, Garum District, Ganye Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
The victims had reportedly gone to a farm to harvest groundnuts when heavy rain began. As the downpour intensified, they sought shelter under a tree.
Moments later, lightning struck the tree, killing six people and injuring four others.
The deceased were identified as Abdulrahman Musa, 7; Aliyu Sule Maunde, 10; Jaafar Sule Maunde, 10; Bilkisu Jibrin Maunde, 20; Musa Ahmadu, 9; and Auwalu Nuhu, 11.
The injured were Nasiru Abubakar, 7; Rilwanu Ahmadu, 9; Sa’adatu Isa, 35; and her one-year-old daughter, Hasiya Isa.
The injured victims were taken to the General Hospital, Ganye, while the six bodies were buried on Monday morning at Wukari Ganye Quarters in accordance with Islamic rites.
Musa Maude, popularly known as “Soja”, said he had sent the children to the farm to harvest groundnuts before receiving a distress call that lightning had struck the group.
He said he rushed to the farm and found the victims lying under the tree.
Family members later transported all 10 victims to the hospital, where six deaths were confirmed.
Suleiman Maude, who lost his two sons, Aliyu and Jaafar, said he had returned home from bricklaying work because of the rain when he received news of the incident.
“I rushed there immediately, but what I saw was heartbreaking. My two sons were among those lying lifeless on the ground,” he said.
One of the survivors, Sa’adatu Isah, said she had accompanied the children to the farm with her young daughter.
She said the group gathered under the tree when the rain became too heavy.
“We were just talking and waiting for the rain to stop when suddenly there was a loud sound. It was followed by a bright flash of light,” she said.
Sa’adatu said she later regained consciousness and learnt that six people had died.
The Chairman of Ganye Local Government Area, Daniel Kamsobbi, confirmed the incident and expressed condolences to the bereaved families.
He said the council had directed the police and other security agencies to investigate the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
Kamsobbi said the investigation would determine whether the deaths were solely caused by the thunderstorm or whether other factors contributed to the incident.
Experts have advised residents, particularly farmers, to avoid taking shelter under trees during thunderstorms.
They urged people caught in severe weather to seek shelter inside sturdy buildings and stay away from open fields, water bodies, metal objects, windows and doors until the storm passes.
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