Eight killed as lightning strikes goldmine in DR Congo

At least eight people have died after a bolt of lightning struck a small-scale goldmine in the Democratic Republic of Congo, an official said Monday.

“Thirty people were struck, including seven who were killed instantly and an eighth who died of their injuries in hospital,” local official Christophe Ikando told AFP.

The lightning strike occurred in the northeastern town of Dungu in the Haut-Uele province, near the border with South Sudan, under heavy rains that battered the area where the victims were mining for gold.

According to human rights groups, such strikes are common in the gold-rich eastern region.

In 2016, a primary school was struck by lighting, killing three pupils and severely injuring a teacher.

AFP