A 45-year-old woman of Choma and her two children have died after being struck by lightning.
The deceased have been identified as Joyce Moono, 45, and her children Gildy Muleya, 14 and Gillian Muleya, 12, all of Sianamaya Village under Chief Cooma in Choma District.
Yesterday around 12:30 hours, the family had knocked off from field work around midday before returning home.
Shortly afterwards, Joyce and her two children went into a thatched kitchen structure located outside the main house to prepare lunch.
While they were inside the kitchen, it started raining and was accompanied by lightning.
Police later received a report of sudden and unnatural death at Batoka Police Post around 15:00 hours from Given Sibbuku, 51, of the same village, indicating that three members of one family had been struck by lightning.
An eyewitness, Samaria Siatyebe, 75, who is the mother to the deceased woman, told police that she was seated on the verandah when a bolt of lightning struck the kitchen structure.
She later rushed to check and found her daughter and the two children lying unresponsive inside the kitchen.
Southern Province police commissioner Moono Namalongo confirmed that Police officers who visited the scene found the three bodies lying inside the kitchen, all with severe burn injuries consistent with a lightning strike.
“Police officers visited the scene and found the three bodies lying dead inside the kitchen. The bodies had sustained severe burn injuries consistent with a lightning strike,”Namalongo said.
The bodies have since been handed over to the family for burial.
By Noel Iyombwa
Kalemba January 4, 2025
