Lichinga, Mozambique, Feb. 22, 2026 (Lusa) - Lightning struck 13 people on Saturday at the Chimbunila administrative post in the northern Mozambican province of Niassa, with at least five dead at the scene, including a mother and her children, it was announced on Sunday.
According to a source from the National Institute for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction (INGD) in Niassa province, quoted today by local media, there are also reports of two seriously injured people, who were taken to hospital in Lichinga, as well as six people with minor injuries, all caused by the lightning strike.
The event took the local population by surprise and, accompanied by heavy rains, caused trees to fall and destruction at that administrative post.
Mozambique is in the middle of the rainy season, one of the most severe in several years.
Before this incident, the total number of deaths in the current rainy season in Mozambique had risen to 230, with almost 863,500 people affected since October, according to the INGD.
According to the INGD database, by early Saturday afternoon, 863,433 people had been affected by the current rainy season, corresponding to 200,702 families, with 12 missing and 321 injured.
This toll accounts for two more deaths compared to Thursday's update.
The January floods alone caused at least 27 deaths, affecting 724,131 people, and the passage of Cyclone Gezani in Inhambane on 13 and 14 February caused four more deaths, according to updated INGD data on the rainy season.
In addition, a total of 15,254 houses were partially destroyed, 6,121 completely destroyed and 183,824 flooded during the current rainy season. A total of 272 health facilities, 82 places of worship and 679 schools were affected in just over four and a half months.
INGD data also indicate that 555,040 hectares of agricultural land were affected during this period, 288,016 hectares of which were reported as lost, affecting 365,784 farmers. In addition, 530,998 animals died, including cattle, goats and poultry, and 7,845 kilometres of road, 36 bridges and 123 aqueducts were affected.
Since October, the Mozambican disaster management institute has activated 149 accommodation centres, which have housed 113,478 people; 41 are still active, accommodating at least 33,905 people.
PVJ/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
