Lightning Kills Three, Injures Six At Football Pitch In Anambra
By Cajetan Mmuta, Awka
Lightning has killed three Senior Secondary School (SS3) students in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State.
It was learnt that the incident occured on Saturday.
Eye witness disclosed that the lightning struck the nine students as they were playing football barefooted with their peers on the school’s playground.
According to the witness, “The students were practising on the football pitch with their coach preparatory to a football tournament. The coach had ended the training session before rain started, but some of the students stayed behind to continue with the exercise.
Findings showed that the lightning, accompanied by claps of thunderstorms suddenly struck the area and hit the boys in the process.
It was further gathered that “A teacher heard the students screaming and running. He (the teacher) ran to the field and saw at least nine students trembling and jerking on the turf.”
“That was when he raised the alarm and people gathered to help. The boys were immediately rushed to the school clinic, from where they were taken to a hospital in Awka.
“Six of the nine boys were resuscitated and are currently receiving treatment, but three did not survive. Their parents have been contacted,’’ the witness said.
A resident of the area who identified herself as Mrs Hope Egwu, stated that news of the accident went around on Sunday.
At the hospital in Awka, parents and sympathisers were seen trooping in and out of the ward where the survivors were receiving treatment.
A doctor, who pleaded for anonymity, explained that three out of the nine boys were brought into the hospital dead, but six others were revived.
“As of now, the parents of two of the dead boys have taken the corpses away, while one is still in the mortuary. Sadly, they were playing on the field barefooted. If they had boots on, the impact of the lightning would probably have been minimised,’’ the doctor said.
The State Police Public Relations Officer,(PPRO) DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, when contacted said the incident had not been reported to the police.
A Consultant Pathologist at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Awka, Prof. Chukwudi Okani, Consultant Pathologist said it was a natural disaster and not spiritual.
According to him, lightning could kill by electrocution through direct strike, side splash or ground current strike.
He however advised that people should install thunder arrestors in their buildings to stave off electrical current in the event of lightning.
