Three members of the same family were killed by a lightning strike on Wednesday 23 March – Photo: Stock/Canva
Three members of the same family were killed by a lightning strike on Wednesday 23 March – Photo: Stock/Canva
Heavy downpours and ferocious storms ripped through KZN on Wednesday, uprooting trees and damaging infrastructure in the process. However, the toll these conditions took on human life proved to be the most tragic of all, after a lightning strike killed three members of the same family.
Lightning strike kills THREE in KZN
It’s understood that lightning struck the Mzobe’s home on Wednesday afternoon. The property, located in the uBuhlebezwe Local Municipality, was decimated by the impact – leaving the victims with no chance of escape.
An elderly female, aged 69, and two children aged under 13 have been identified as the deceased. The deaths were instant, and there was nothing recovery teams could do try and resuscitate those in the rubble.
Latest weather forecast for KZN on Thursday 24 March
Although more rain and thunderstorms have been forecast for Thursday, it seems the worst of the weather is already behind KwaZulu-Natal – although, unsettled fronts are moving eastwards towards the province.
Thursday's Outlook:-
— AfricaWeather (@AfricaWeather_) March 24, 2022
1. Morning thunderstorms over the central interior heading east towards KZN and EC are expected to merge with the band of storms over the eastern interior.
2. NC remains fine and warm to hot while light rain festers in the WC.@ReenvalSA @_ArriveAlive pic.twitter.com/jwZLykiijz
Lightning strike ‘damaged infrastructure’
KZN COGTA spokesperson Senzelwe Mzila has issued a statement on the heart-wrenching incident. He confirmed that disaster management teams are still at the scene, and the family is being offered a high level of support.
“Yesterday, we learned with shock and sadness of the tragic incident that occurred in Ofafafa, in the uBuhlebezwe Local Municipality, where a lightning strike killed three people in the Mzobe family.”
“The reports received by the department indicate that a 69-year-old female and two children we killed instantly when lightning struck their home in the afternoon.”
“The inclement weather conditions that were experienced by parts of the province yesterday uprooted trees and damaged both public and private infrastructure. Disaster management teams continue to assess the damage.”
Senzelwe Mzila
