Lightning Kills Eight Worshippers at Seventh Day Adventist Church in Malawi

Eight worshippers have been killed and several others injured after lightning struck at a church in Malawi´s capital Lilongwe on Saturday, a health ministry official said.

“The worshippers were having an extended session of Saturday prayers when lightning struck their church at around 4.30pm,” Charles Mwansambo, chief of health services in the ministry of health, told AFP.

He said the eight victims -- included seven adults and one child -- had “arrived already dead” at Kamuzu Central hospital from the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

Mwansambo said one person was at the intensive care unit, while 40 others were being “observed” and treated as outpatients.

A witness was quoted to have said, “People were inside the church attending the service when the lightning stuck. I first heard a loud burst which frightened almost everybody and few minutes later I just saw a stampede”.