VAM News update

Three Senior Secondary School (SS3) students in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra were killed by lightning on Saturday.

According to an eyewitness, the lightning struck nine male students who were playing football with their peers on the school’s pitch barefooted.

The eyewitness told the News Agency of Nigeria that, “The students were practising on the football pitch with their coach preparatory to a football tournament.

“The coach had ended the training session before the rain started, but some of the students stayed behind to continue playing football.

“Lightning, accompanied by claps of thunderstorm suddenly enveloped the area and the boys were struck in the process.

“A teacher heard the students screaming and running. He ran to the field and saw at least nine students trembling and jerking on the turf.

“That was when he raised the alarm and people gathered to help. The boys were immediately rushed to the school clinic, from where they were taken to a hospital in Awka.

“Six of the nine boys were resuscitated and are currently receiving treatment, but three did not survive. Their parents have been contacted.”

A doctor at the hospital who pleaded anonymity, told NAN that three out of the nine boys were brought into the hospital dead, but six others were revived.

He said, “As of now, the parents of two of the dead boys have taken the corpses away, while one is still in the mortuary.

“It is sad that they were playing on the field barefooted. If they had boots on, the impact of the lightning would probably have been minimised.”