HARARE – Three children were killed by lightning in Goromonzi, Mashonaland East, as heavy rains pounded Zimbabwe on Tuesday.
A herdboy was swept away by a flooded river in Filabusi, and heavy winds blew away roofing sheets at several homes and schools in Matabeleland South.
The three Early Childhood Development (ECD) pupils from Rusike Primary School were heading home when they were struck by lightning, officials said.
A fourth child survived with burns and was being treated at the Ruwa Rehabilitation Hospital, according to Prisca Dube, the chairperson of the Goromonzi district Civil Protection Unit.
Officials in Matabeleland South said a boy herding cattle had drowned in Filabusi after attempting to cross the flooded Insiza River.
Several buildings had been destroyed by heavy rains, including a community hall at Chief Sibasa’s homestead.
The onset of the rainy season in Zimbabwe brings joy, but also grief.
The country experiences lightning deaths, sometimes up to 100 people, every year. Most of the victims are usually rural children.
