13 children dead after lightning hits Uganda refugee camp

• 13 children dead after lightning hits Uganda refugee camp
• The region has been experiencing heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms

13 children dead after lightning hits Uganda refugee camp

A lightning strike at Palabek Refugee Settlement in north-western Uganda has claimed the lives of 13 children and one adult, police have reported.

The victims were attending a church service on Saturday evening when the lightning hit, also leaving 34 others injured. The region has been experiencing heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms.

Uganda Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke confirmed the adult victim was 21 years old but did not disclose the ages of the children.

Palabek Refugee Settlement, which shelters over 80,000 refugees and asylum seekers—many from South Sudan—has been particularly affected by recent severe weather.

Fatal incidents involving lightning is commonly reported in Uganda during the wet season.

According to the World Meteorological Organization, Uganda has one of the highest rates of lightning strike deaths in the world.