Thirteen children and an adult were killed in a lightning strike during a prayer session in a refugee camp in Uganda on Saturday.
Ugandan authorities say the strike, which occurred in Lamwo district of Northern Uganda, also injured 34 persons.
“The victims, yet to be identified, had gathered for prayers when the rain started around 5:00 PM, and the lightning thunderstruck at 5:30 PM,” Kituuma Rusoke, a spokesperson for the police force, said on social media.
The Palabek refugee camp is on the Uganda side of the country’s border with South Sudan and houses around 80,000 people, most of whom have travelled from the country Lamwo District authorities say.
South Sudan has continued to face instability since a civil war formally ended in 2020.
Lightning strikes are common in Africa’s central belt, where Uganda is located, and have occasionally caused deadly incidents in the country
