A 15-year-old girl met her untimely death after a lightning bolt at Odumase in the Sunyani West Municipality of the Bono Region.
The deceased, Evelyn Agyenim Boateng, was a form two student of the Odumase St. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Basic School.
According to eyewitnesses, she was cooking for the family on Saturday, May 13, 2023, when she was struck by lightning, which accompanied a downpour in the town.
The deceased’s father, Kwadwo Owusu Aduomi, who could not control his tears, told journalists that he was not at home when the unfortunate incident happened.
“I received a distress call that my daughter is unwell, but when I rushed to the hospital, I saw her body lying prostrate at the mortuary with multiple bruises around the breast area,” he stated.
The body had since been deposited at a mortuary for preservation and autopsy.
This comes a month after a similar strike killed two siblings at Begoro in the Fanteakwa North District in Eastern Region.
The victims, Selorm Bona,16, and Vivian,14, were struck by a ground strike when they reportedly rushed out to pick ripe mango fruits while it was raining.
Selorm died instantly, while Vivian killed upon arrival at the Begoro government hospital.
Another lighting strike in October 2022 also killed a 12-year-old boy at Nkwanta South Municipality of the Oti Region following a rainstorm while running for his life with two other colleagues during a storm.
According to the Assembly Member for Nkwanta Central, Awal Zakari, two of the three children were struck.
However, he regained consciousness after 30 minutes leaving 12-year-old Ajoyi Philip dead.
Favour Kamasah, a 30-year-old farmer, together with her one-year-old son, Kofi Semenyo, were also killed by lightning at Ahlepedo-Dukpome in the Akatsi South Municipality of the Volta Region in September 2022.
Lightning is a frequent natural occurrence worldwide, with an estimated 50 occurrences per second and 20% resulting in ground strikes.
It is estimated that there are approximately 24,000 fatalities worldwide, with ten times as many injuries annually due to lighting.
However, most people in Ghana associate lightning strikes with curses or punishment from the gods for a family or an individual’s sin.