By: Our reporter

A woman and her husband have been killed by lightning during a heavy downpour in Oguta Village, Mundhel Parish, Nyapea Sub-County, Zombo District.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday, with the victims identified as Adoku and her husband, Arua.

Eliot Odongo, the Mundhel Parish Councillor, confirmed the incident, saying the couple was inside their home when the lightning struck during the storm.

Odongo said relatives of Adoku, who are from Aringu in Atyak Sub-County, had collected her body, while the family of Arua from Erussi Sub-County was travelling to Oguta to collect his remains.

The latest deaths add to growing concern over lightning-related incidents in Zombo and the wider West Nile sub-region, where thunderstorms have repeatedly caused deaths and injuries in communities and schools.

The danger has also been felt in schools. Oweko Primary School in Zombo has previously been hit by lightning, with learners among those affected. The incident raised concerns about the safety of pupils and staff, particularly in schools without adequate lightning protection.

At Adhingi Primary School in Zombo, pupils have also continued to live with fear following an earlier lightning strike at the school. A report on the incident said the strike occurred several years ago and has continued to affect the confidence of learners and the wider school community.

These school incidents highlight the wider vulnerability of children in rural areas during thunderstorms, especially where classrooms lack lightning-protection systems. They also underline the potential consequences of lightning beyond immediate deaths and injuries, including disruption to learning and concerns among parents about sending children to affected schools.

The latest incident follows a recent lightning strike in Serr Parish, where a woman survived, as well as an incident about two months ago in Aka Sub-County, where eight people were reportedly struck.

The repeated incidents have renewed calls for greater public awareness about lightning safety. Residents are advised to seek shelter inside safe, enclosed buildings when thunderstorms occur, avoid open fields and isolated trees, and keep away from electrical appliances and other conductive objects during storms.

For schools, the incidents have strengthened calls for the installation and maintenance of appropriate lightning-protection systems, alongside regular safety awareness for learners and teachers.

The deaths of Adoku and Arua therefore come as another reminder of the continuing threat posed by lightning in Zombo, where communities and schools remain exposed during increasingly frequent and severe thunderstorms.