SIX STRUCK BY LIGHTNING IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Victims battling for their lives

By Sent Timbi
PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (PNG Post-Courier, Feb. 8, 2010) – In Papua New Guinea, five young girls and an elderly man were struck by lightning yesterday afternoon while watching Western Highlands Governor’s Cup competition at Kondopina rugby field in Dei District.

The lightning struck about 3 pm in a heavy downpour when the game was being played between Gomis and Jimi Country.

The girls aged between 10-15 years and the elderly man are all believed to be from Dei District.

More than 2000 people that watched the game fled for safety while the victims were lying flat and unconscious on the ground.

A few minutes later youths from the area intervened and took the victims to Kudjip Nazarene Hospital and Mt Hagen General Hospital.

However, three quarters of the spectators who were watching the game left, fearing more lightning was about to struck.

The victims are battling for their lives at the hospitals.

Some people that had been affected lightly by the lightning fled at different directions aimlessly.

But their relatives searched and brought them back to their homes late in the afternoon.

Our reporter who was there to cover the game also fled for his life but later got this story and left early while there were two more games to be played.

Some people are believed to have been affected by the lightning but were not reported.

It is very dangerous to play in the rain when lightening strikes as it kills like in this case.

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