Map of Anambra state Nigeria.
Three students from Tansi College, Okpuno, in Anambra State, tragically lost their lives due to a lightning strike.
The students were engaged in a soccer practice on the school field when the incident occurred on Sunday evening.
According to an observer, lightning struck nine male students who were playing football, barefoot, alongside their peers on the school’s pitch.
“The students were practicing on the football pitch with their coach preparatory to a tournament. The coach had ended the training session before the rain started but some of the students stayed behind to continue playing football,” the witness who pleaded anonymity said.
“Lightning, accompanied by claps of thunderstorms, suddenly enveloped the area and the boys were struck in the process.”
According to the witness’s account, a teacher became aware of the students’ screams and commotion. Upon reaching the field, he observed at least nine students experiencing convulsions and twitching on the grass. The teacher quickly raised an alarm, and community members gathered to offer assistance.
The boys were promptly transported to the school clinic and later transferred to a hospital in Awka. Out of the nine, six were successfully revived and are currently undergoing treatment, while tragically, three did not survive.
An anonymous doctor at the hospital also confirmed that three of the boys were brought to the hospital already deceased, while the remaining six were successfully revived.