Republic of the Congo
Twenty people were killed on Wednesday when a lightning strike damaged a high-voltage power line in a suburb of the Congolese capital Brazzaville, the local mayor and witnesses said.
The mayor of Kintele, Stella Mensah Sassou Nguesso, told state radio that seven bodies had been sent to a nearby morgue and another 13 to a mortuary in the capital.
An eyewitness said lightning “cut through two high-voltage cables,” electrocuting people on the ground.
The witness further revealed that one of the cables landed on a house and electrocuted three people to death. Other victims were electrocuted as they tried to save the former three victims.
Amateur videos were uploaded to various social media pages indicating authorities rushing in to save a few injured victims. The incident occured on the first day of a month-long lockdown. The country has so far recorded 22 cases of coronavirus with two deaths.
01:38
Congo's President Denis Sassou-Nguesso seeks to foster global peace
11:11
Women entrepreneurs: persistent financial obstacles [Business Africa]
01:22
Record of children who died before their fifth birthday drops to 4.9m – UN report
00:49
Mozambique: At least 4 dead following storm Filipo
01:42
Women in Gaza describe the hardships they suffer because of the war
02:13
IMF to assess impact of drought on Zambia's economy