Twenty people have been killed by a lightning strike on high-voltage power lines in the Republic of Congo.
Authorities said the incident happened in the capital Brazzaville on the first day of a lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Local media reported that the lightning strike hit high-voltage power lines in the city.
The mayor of Kintele district where the incident occurred, Stella Mensah Saddou Nguesso told the media that those killed were electrocuted by falling cables.
It has been raining heavily in Kintele for several hours, according to local officials.
According to reports a house was set on fire after one of the cables fell on it killing those inside.
Other neighbours who also died were electrocuted when one of the cables struck a pool of water in a courtyard.
Several others sustained injuries and are now been attended to at health facilities in the city.
Congo has so far recorded 22 cases of Covid-19 with two deaths.
Lockdowns are now common in Africa as countries speed up to prevent further spread of the virus.
This form of restriction is however impacting negatively on many especially the poor.
Africa so far has over 5000 cases of the virus with almost 200 deaths as at April 2.
Source: Africafeeds.com
