Kongola: A 10-year-old girl, identified as Likanyi Rosemary Mathieu, was allegedly fatally struck by lightning at Mashosho village in the Kongola Constituency of the Zambezi Region on Friday. The incident occurred when the girl was standing under a tree with others around 18h30, but others present were unharmed.
According to Namibia Press Agency, the Namibian Police Force’s (NamPol) spokesperson for the Zambezi Region, Inspector Kisco Sitali, confirmed the incident. The girl was transported to the Choi clinic by family members, where she was declared dead. Her next of kin have been informed of her death.
The police also reported a tragic event involving an eight-year-old boy who allegedly committed suicide in the same village between Friday and Saturday. It is alleged that after coming from school around 13h30, the boy was looking for food to eat, but found only porridge remaining as his younger brother had finished the relish. Upon enquiry, his mother allegedly asked him to gather wild spinach for her to c
ook.
‘He later disappeared, and the mother thought that he had gone to his friends to play. He did not sleep at home that day,’ said Sitali. The boy allegedly hanged himself from a tree with a traditional rope approximately 50 meters from his home. The deceased has been identified as Tapelo Liyemo, who was a Grade 2 learner at Kongola Combined School. His next of kin have been informed of his death.
In a separate incident report, a severe storm caused a tree to fall onto a house in Liselo village, resulting in the death of 70-year-old Malumbano Misheyi. Misheyi was inside the house with three children at the time. The children sustained minor injuries and received treatment at a local hospital. Her next of kin have been informed.