mmmmm
© Notícias
A lightning strike hit 13 people on Saturday in the administrative post of Chimbunila, Niassa province, northern Mozambique, killing at least five on site—a mother and her children—according to an announcement on Sunday.

A source from the National Institute for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction (INGD) in Niassa province, cited by local media on Sunday, reported that two people were seriously injured and transported to a hospital in Lichinga, while six sustained minor injuries, all caused by the lightning strike.

The lightning event surprised the local population and, accompanied by heavy rain, caused trees to fall and widespread destruction throughout the Chimbunila administrative post.

Mozambique is currently in the midst of the rainy season, one of the most severe in several years.

Prior to this incident, the total number of deaths in the current rainy season in Mozambique had risen to 230, with nearly 863,500 people affected since October, according to the INGD.

INGD database records indicate that as of early Saturday afternoon, 863,433 people, corresponding to 200,702 families, had been affected during this rainy season. There are also 12 reported missing and 321 injured.

This update adds two more deaths compared with the INGD's report on Thursday.

Floods in January alone caused at least 27 deaths and affected 724,131 people, while Cyclone Gezani, which hit Inhambane on 13 and 14 February, caused an additional four deaths, according to updated INGD data on the rainy season.

A total of 15,254 houses were partially destroyed, 6,121 completely destroyed, and a further 183,824 flooded during the current rainy season. Over just four and a half months, 272 health units, 82 places of worship and 679 schools were affected.

INGD data further indicate that 555,040 hectares of agricultural land were affected during this period, of which 288,016 hectares were declared lost, impacting 365,784 farmers. A total of 530,998 animals, including cattle, goats and poultry, also perished, and 7,845 kilometres of roads, 36 bridges and 123 culverts were affected.

Since October, INGD has activated 149 accommodation centres, housing 113,478 people, of which 41 centres remain active, sheltering at least 33,905 people.

Source: Lusa