Two people died last week after they were struck by lightning in separate incidents in Manicaland Province.
Police confirmed the cases saying they were worried with the rising number of lightning victims.
“Since the start of the rainy season, we have received alarming cases of lightning strikes and we are worried about their repeated occurrence,” Manicaland police spokesperson Inspector Leonard Chabata said.
In the first incident on December 16 at around 12 noon in Mutisi village Chief Marange, a seven-year-old boy, Devine Mawoyo, was playing under a mango tree when it started raining.
Devine then sought shelter under the tree, but little did he realise it was a fatal decision.
Police said the thunderbolt struck the boy once killing him on the spot in full view of his grandmother Agnes Mawoyo (50).
“The grandmother rushed to the mango tree in the hope of performing first aid, but the boy was already dead,” said Chabata.
In another incident on the same day in Chiritsa village, Chief Makoni area in Rusape, a 26-year-old man, Tawanda Marowa, was also struck by a lightning bolt while herding cattle with a fellow villager, Christopher Makoni (28).
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According to police, it started raining at around 3pm and the two sought refuge in a cave. A thunderbolt hit them in the cave and killed Marowa instantly while Makoni sustained serious burns on his legs.
The survivor managed to crawl out and alerted other villagers who came to retrieve Marowa’s body. Police are encouraging the public to stay indoors when it’s raining.
