Thirteen children and one adult lost their lives after a lightning strike hit a refugee camp in Uganda, police reported.
According to authorities, the victims were gathered for a church service on Saturday evening when the strike occurred, leaving 34 others injured.
The incident took place at the Palabek Refugee Settlement in the country’s northwest, a region that has been experiencing intense thunderstorms and heavy rains.
Uganda Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke informed BBC News that the adult victim was 21 years old, though he did not disclose the specific ages of the children who perished.
According to the UN’s refugee agency, Palabek Refugee Settlement houses over 80,000 refugees and asylum seekers, most of whom have fled from neighboring South Sudan.
In another tragic incident four years ago, lightning claimed the lives of 10 children in Arua, a city also located in northwestern Uganda.
These children were struck while taking a break from playing football.