Lightning kills 1, injures 3

One person died and three were injured on Wednesday when lightning struck them around noon in Dowa.

Police identified the deceased as Wezi Chumbi, 22, who hailed from Etele Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Chindi in Mzimba.

The injured victims are Rose Nyirenda, 23, of Zakariya Village, Elita Nyika, 20, of Chundu Village—both from T/A Mzikubola in Mzimba—and Jessey Makhamba, 22, of Kalupya Village, T/A Ngozi in Neno.

The four student teachers at Dowa Development Aid from People to People (Dapp) Teachers Training College were on attachment at Katsetse Primary School in the district.

Dowa Police public relations officer Sergeant Richard Kaponda said on the fateful day, the deceased was roasting green maize in the kitchen while the other three were in the house. Then, said Kaponda, it started to rain and lightning struck.

He said the deceased was reported dead on arrival at Mtengowanthenga Hospital in Dowa where the injured three were also receiving treatment.

He said postmortem conducted at Dowa District Hospital showed that death was due to suffocation caused by the lightning.

The tragedy comes just weeks after lightning also killed eight people at a Seventh Day Adventist Church in Lilongwe.

There was also a similar incident recently in Kasungu where some people were injured.