16 killed and 140 injured after lightning strikes church

Lightning is very unpredictable and a church recently was struck killing more than ten people.

Rwanda’s Seventh-Day Adventist church was struck by lightning on March 10, 2018, while a service was taking place. Pop Culture revealed that the incident cost the lives of 16 people and injured 140 others.

Kigali mayor Habitegeko Francois stated that the first 14 victims were killed instantly via electrocution following the lightning hit, the remaining two passed away because of the injuries they have acquired.

After the incident, the 140 injured citizens were immediately sent to several hospitals near the area. The media outlet suggested that many of the injured victims may have already been discharged.

In an interview with French agency, Agence France-Presse, Francois said, "Doctors say that only three of them are in critical condition but they are getting better.”

He added that another lightning strike hit the night prior, which struck 18 students and ended the life of one.

CBC reported that lightning strikes are not an unusual event in Rwanda because the area has many hills and mountains.

Over the years, there have been many reports of people and livestock being hit by lightning in Rwanda, according to the site.

In fact, in 2016 alone, Rwanda’s Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs records showed that 30 people were killed, 61 were injured, and 48 livestock were killed because of lightning.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration claimed that the United States has an average of 51 lightning strike-related casualties every year, but only nine to ten percent of the people affected are actually killed by the lightning.

The Weather channel compiled its data covering the past 30 years and it revealed that the most lightning-prone cities in the country are mostly in Florida. The top five include Fort Myers, Tampa, Tallahassee, Orlando, and West Palm Beach.