One thousand chickens have been struck dead by a single bolt of lightning in western Zimbabwe.
Meteorological services department is warning of more storms and a heightened potential for flash flooding and lightning strikes this week.
Pictures published by the Harare Live News show the charred remains of chickens at the poultry farm in, Matabeleland North.
The lightning struck during one of several torrential rain showers that hit the region last week.
Poultry farmer Sidumisile Mathe described a huge ball of fire that engulfed her poultry run.
killing all 1,000 of her chickens just three days before they were due to go to market.
She told the paper her losses ran into tens of thousands of rand.
Zimbabwe’s deadly lightning strikes claim the lives of up to 100 people each year.
it began to rain heavily and I was with one of my helpers trying to secure the fowl run.
We then left for the main house and that is when a bolt of lightning struck the fowl run. it was like a huge ball of fire. It was scary.
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Market Ready Chickens Reduced To Ashes By A Lightning Bolt
I immediately rushed back to the fowl run screaming for help, neighbors came through as they initially thought
that maybe the lightning had struck while we were inside the fowl run because we would spend most of our time in the fowl run
Apart from the 1000 chickens the lightning bolt also caused damages worth US$3 500 that includes chicken feeding equipment
they were now three days from reaching the required six weeks maturity, I was supposed to be delivering them on
