Lightening Kills Two Fishermen In Mangochi Malawi
By:Francis Polinyu Banda
Two fishermen have died in Mangochi district, eastern Malawi after being struck by a lightning while fishing in Lake Malawi.
The incident took place on the evening of December 31, 2024 in the area of Traditional Authority Namabvi in the district at Moto Fishing Dock.
According to Mangochi police station publicist Inspector Amina Tepani Daudi,the two have been identified as Adam Paudala, 25, from Ng’ombe Village, Traditional Authority Namabvi in Mangochi, and Mark Nedi, 20, from Mwanapiye Village, Traditional Authority Mwambo in Zomba.
“Eight fishermen went fishing that evening using two canoes, with each canoe carrying four individuals”, Daudi said.
Shed further stated that while fishing a strong Mwera wind accompanied by heavy rain and thunderstorms hit the area.
“Suddenly, lightning struck their canoe, causing significant damage and electrocuting the two men.All the four fishermen in the canoe fell into the water while two were rescued by their colleagues from the second canoe.Paudala and Nedi drowned and went missing”,she said.
A search organized by local fishermen later located the bodies of the two men(now deceased) floating near Moto Fishing Dock on the New Year’s Eve. Both bodies had severe burn injuries.
Police officers and medical personnel from Lungwena Health Centre, a local health post near the accident site,examined the scene and postmortem confirmed that the cause of death was cardiogenic electric shock, secondary to suffocation.
Meanwhile,Police in this lakeshore district have appealed to fishermen to pay close attention to weather forecasts and avoid fishing during severe weather conditions.
Mangochi district has started receiving heavy rains on Saturday,December 21,2024 which is accompanied by heavy winds and thunderstorms.
The department of weather and meteorological services in Malawi issues weather focusts almost on a daily basis through various media channels which are accompanied by different warnings.
