At least 10 people have been killed after being struck by lightning in Mozambique’s central and northern regions following torrential rains, accompanied by thunderstorms, and strong winds, relief authorities say.
Most of the deaths occurred over the past weekend, particularly in the provinces of Sofala, Zambezia, Manica, Tete and Niassa.
More than 500 families have been left homeless, following the partial or total destruction of their houses, most of which were built with flimsy material.
Augusta Maita, the General Director of Mozambique’s National Disasters Management Institute, urged people to observe preventative measures being given:
Acacio Tembe, a weather expert from Mozambique’s National Weather Institute (Iname), said the extreme weather has abated but it is expected to hit the central region from Thursday.
The rainy season in Mozambique began in October and will last until the end of March.
The worst effects of torrential rains in the country were the flooding in 2000, which left 700 people dead and over one million others displaced.
