At least 14 people die in lightning strike on refugee camp in Uganda

At least 14 people, including several children, were killed in a lightning strike in a refugee camp in northern Uganda, police said Sunday.

Officials say the victims were residents of the Palabek settlement camp, which primarily houses people displaced from South Sudan.

They had been attending a prayer service in a makeshift metallic structure when the lighting struck on Saturday night.

The camp is on the Uganda side of the country’s border with South Sudan, and houses around 80,000 people.

Police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke said 34 other people were injured and have been admitted to health centres in the area.

The victims have not yet been identified.

Deadly lightning is commonly reported in Uganda during the wet seasons.