Another lightning strike kills goats

Barely a week after a small-stock farmer lost 71 goats to lightning in Okakarara Constituency another 20 goats and a herding dog were killed by lightning in the Otjinene Constituency. 

The incident happened at Okazapamba village during the wee hours of Wednesday 12 November. According to Kasukoo Kamurongo, a farmer, “We heard a heavy thunder clap and lightning seemed to fill our house. The next morning we found the 20 goats dead in the kraal with their herding dog. All the dead goats had burn marks on their stomachs. The surviving dog and a ram showed heavily swollen limbs.” The owner of the goats, Unomasa Kamutanda Mbaisa was not in the village during the incident, but said that he is so heartbroken to lose everything. “I'm only left with about eight goats, three goats with four lambs and the one ram.” 

Objects struck by lightning experience heat and magnetic forces of great magnitude. The heat created by lightning currents travelling through a tree may vaporise its sap, causing an explosion that bursts the trunk. 

Humans or animals struck by lightning may suffer severe injury due to internal organ and nervous system damage. As lightning mostly seeks the highest structure that can relay the electric charge to the ground it is very important to keep livestock away from trees during a thunder storm.

source: http://www.informante.web.na

Namibia: Lightning wipes out goat herd

A small-stock farmer in Okatjoruu a village in Okotjituoo, Okakarara Constituency, Uaruavi Nguvauva lost 71 goats and a herding dog to lightning and heavy rains last weekend (1 November 2014) between 19h00 and 20h00. 

Nguvauva said on that evening they experienced heavy thunder and lightning and the following day he was told that his goats were struck by lightning. “I was only left with 20 goats with their lambs, the rest of the carcasses we had to bury as we don’t know whether such meat is fit for human consumption,” he said.

In another incident that took place in the village of Vaalgras and Klein Vaalgras in the Karas Region, situated 60km northeast of Keetmanshoop, serious damage to infrastructure was caused by heavy rain and hail last Sunday. The entire town was left in darkness when electrical and telephone poles in the village were demolished, while the roofs of about 12 houses were blown off by strong winds. The rain measured an  estimated 20 to 35mm.

The Vaalgras Primary School sustained serious damage as electrical appliances, including computers were destroyed. Special inspectors from the Ministry of Works and Transport visited the school to inspect the damages and evaluate the cost to cover the damages. The school, founded in 1969, has 160 learners from Grades 1 to 7 and six teachers.


Source: http://www.informante.web.na

Zambia: Lightning kills mother, 33, baby, 2

MUBANGA NONDO, Ndola a 33-YEAR-OLD woman and her two-year-old baby of Kalende in Luanshya’s Maposa West died after being struck by lightning.

Copperbelt commissioner of police Joyce Kasosa said that Joyce Kampumbula and her baby Mwafwenyeo died on Monday (03/11/2014) around 13:30 hours after being struck by lightning during a downpour.
She said the incident happened when Ms Kapumbula, who had the toddler strapped on her back, entered a grass-thatched hut for shelter when it started raining.
“But lightning struck the hut instantly killing the two,” Ms Kasosa said.
She said another person who was with the deceased sustained minor burns and was treated at Thompson Hospital and discharged.
The bodies are in Thompson Hospital mortuary.



Source: https://www.daily-mail.co.zm