Tuesday 15 October 2019

WOMAN STRUCK BY LIGHTNING IN FOWL RUN


A MATOBO woman died after she was struck by lightning while fixing a fowl run with her husband at their homestead.

Matabeleland South acting provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Loveness Mangena, said Kwaziwayinkosi Nyoni (28) of Silozwana Village in Matobo and her husband Sylvester Maphosa were covering their fowl run with plastic papers in order to protect their chickens from rain when lightning struck.

The incident occurred last Friday at around 3PM. “I can confirm that we recorded a sudden death case in Matobo where a woman died after she was struck by lightning. Kwaziwayinkosi Nyoni and her husband Sylvester Maphosa were fixing their fowl run covering it with plastic papers as it was about to rain.

“A bolt of lightning struck and they both fell to the ground. Maphosa woke up a few minutes later and saw his wife lying unconscious about a metre from where he was. He tried to wake her up but without luck,” she said.

Insp Mangena said Maphosa left his wife lying on the ground and went to inform a neighbour. She said upon the pair’s return, the kitchen hut was on fire.

She said Nyoni was rushed to Natisa Clinic where she was pronounced dead upon arrival. 

 “As we approach the rainy season we urge people to be careful and seek shelter in safe places. In cases of lightning people should avoid standing underneath trees, high places, standing in open spaces or any places that might put them at risk of being struck by lightning. We also record an increase in cases of drowning during the rainy season caused by people that attempt to cross flooded rivers. People are urged to be careful around water sources and desist from crossing flooded rivers,” Insp Mangena said.

Last week on Thursday, a resident of Magwegwe suburb in Bulawayo died after he was struck by lightning in Cowdray Park. Chronicle

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