Two people have died, and 49 others admitted at the Jubilee Hospital, 13 in critical condition, after they were struck by lightning at the Mphebatho Troop Annual Festival at the Dertig Sports Ground in the Moretele Local Municipality in the North West.
Most patients sustained mild burns related to the lightning strike, while the remaining patients were treated and discharged.
The incident happened when thousands of people had gathered at the local sports ground, to celebrate the annual festival, which brings together the community, cultural groups, and leaders for a vibrant music event that promotes culture, unity and social cohesion.
“Due to bad weather, more than ten people were struck by lightning, and unfortunately, two people were declared dead.
Emergency services arrived quickly, and all other injured individuals received medical care.
For safety reasons, the festival was put on hold immediately.
This decision was made to protect everyone at the event, including community members, performers, and officials,” said the municipality spokesperson, Mothupi Malebye.
In addition, Malebye said the municipality is working closely with emergency services and local authorities, adding that the Mayor, George Manyike, will keep the community updated about the news of affected.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the families of those who passed away and wish all other affected individuals a speedy recovery.
The safety of our community remains our top priority,” explained Malebye.
Meanwhile, Health MEC Sello Lehari said that he is pleased that Mathibestad CHC was fully operational to attend to this unfortunate tragedy.
“I can confirm that both day and night duty staff were on site.
The health professionals on duty included two doctors, four professional nurses, and three enrolled nurses, bringing the total staff complement to nine to effectively attend to patients.
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) support was strengthened through the deployment of two North West EMS ambulances, two Gauteng EMS ambulances, and Planned Patient Transport,” said Lehari.
The MEC further expressed appreciation for the collaborative emergency response.
“We wish to express our appreciation to Gauteng Health for assistance with the emergency response, particularly in deploying two ambulances and admitting patients that needed urgent hospitalisation,” remarked Lehari.
The MEC highlighted that the department will continue to monitor the situation closely and will provide further updates as new information becomes available.
