At least 16 people died and more than 100 more were injured when lightning struck a Seventh Day Adventist Church in Rwanda on Saturday, according to reports.
Officials said most of those who were killed died instantly while injured churchgoers, which reportedly numbered more than 140, were rushed to a nearby hospital after the lightning strike in the town of Gihemvu, located in a mountainous region close to the border with Burundi.
The incident came after a student was killed in another lightning strike on Friday.
It also comes after authorities in recent weeks moved to close more than 700 churches in the country, ostensibly for failing to comply with building regulations and noise pollution. One local news outlet has reported that a number of the closed churches didn’t not have lightning rods attached, a requirement under government regulations.
