Ethiopia: Lightning Kills 25 amid extensive drought in East Africa
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By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
July 16, 2011 (MEKELLE, ETHIOPIA) – As rain shortages put some 4.5
million Ethiopians on the brink of hunger, lightning strikes over the
past month have killed at least 25 people as heavy rains hit the
country’s northern Tigray region.
The lightning strikes that hit different districts mainly in south
west of the region has also injured four people and killed 34 farm
animals, Tigray region police commission spokesperson, Micheale Kahsu
told Sudan Tribune.
According to local communities, this is the highest death toll caused
by lightning at Tembein district and fears are high that this figure
could rise in the course of the rain season to end early in September.
Rains have become a cause of worry after the latest deadly lightning
incidents, says Belay Hadgu, an agriculture extension worker.
"The communities mainly the farmers in this areas used to highly
welcome every rain fall however it has lately become their moment of
worry after many was strike dead by lightening" he said adding "people
begin praying when heavy rains fall".
Also Tigray is the region worst hit, similar cases have also been
reported from other parts of the country.
Lightning refers to one of the several forms of visible electrical
discharge produced by thunderstorms. It is essentially a giant spark
that jumps between vast pools of positive and negative electrical
charge that form inside thunderstorms.
The primary forms of lightning discharges are cloud-to-ground (CG),
cloud-to-cloud (CC), in-cloud (IC) and cloud-to-air (CA). Rare forms
also include ball lightning. Lightning appears very bright because it
is - its optical output is equivalent to some 100 million light bulbs
going on and off.
(ST)
* Article
* Comments (0)
email Email
print Print
pdfSave
separation
increase
decrease
separation
separation
*
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*
*
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
July 16, 2011 (MEKELLE, ETHIOPIA) – As rain shortages put some 4.5
million Ethiopians on the brink of hunger, lightning strikes over the
past month have killed at least 25 people as heavy rains hit the
country’s northern Tigray region.
The lightning strikes that hit different districts mainly in south
west of the region has also injured four people and killed 34 farm
animals, Tigray region police commission spokesperson, Micheale Kahsu
told Sudan Tribune.
According to local communities, this is the highest death toll caused
by lightning at Tembein district and fears are high that this figure
could rise in the course of the rain season to end early in September.
Rains have become a cause of worry after the latest deadly lightning
incidents, says Belay Hadgu, an agriculture extension worker.
"The communities mainly the farmers in this areas used to highly
welcome every rain fall however it has lately become their moment of
worry after many was strike dead by lightening" he said adding "people
begin praying when heavy rains fall".
Also Tigray is the region worst hit, similar cases have also been
reported from other parts of the country.
Lightning refers to one of the several forms of visible electrical
discharge produced by thunderstorms. It is essentially a giant spark
that jumps between vast pools of positive and negative electrical
charge that form inside thunderstorms.
The primary forms of lightning discharges are cloud-to-ground (CG),
cloud-to-cloud (CC), in-cloud (IC) and cloud-to-air (CA). Rare forms
also include ball lightning. Lightning appears very bright because it
is - its optical output is equivalent to some 100 million light bulbs
going on and off.
(ST)
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