Family in turmoil as lightning kills five

On Tuesday, amid mild rain, nine family members in Immanuel Stefanus’ homestead in Oneifiya village – all aged under 20 - sought cover under one hut.It was about 18:00 – the time any typical family in this village in the Ohangwena Region&#039;s Epembe constituency would start preparing supper after a long day’s work. The parents were away, attending a funeral.The rain was mild, but in its company were heavy thunderstorms and lightning. It’s because of the latter two that the group congregated under one thatched roof.One of them had a phone on him. He was warned to put it away, but he defied the advice.Shortly after, lightning struck violently, instantly killing five of the nine occupants of the hut – including the cellphone owner.The hut went up in flames and burned to the ground within a matter of minutes.Anna Immanuel (18), Victoria Immanuel (16), Matheus Lukas (4), Ruth Kashaalwa (12) and Matheus Phillipus (19) all died instantly. Police said they all burned beyond recognition.The four survivors - the eldest aged 19 and youngest a minor whose age could not be verified - were transported to Eenhana District State Hospital for medical treatment. Among them was a four-year-old child who suffered burns to her arms, back and face.Couldn’t do anythingOne of those who lived to tell the tale was 18-year-old Tangeni Modestus, who was visiting the family from a nearby village.“Just moments after I warned one of the deceased to put away his phone, I just saw fire in the hut, and I was thrown out of the hut. Two of the children who were inside the hut were also [thrown out],” he said.Modestus said he immediately ran to the nearby shebeens.“I did not reach the shebeens; I met with Johannes Paulus, who also stays at our house. Someone had alerted him about the fire at the homestead,” the teen said.According to Paulus, upon his arrival, the hut had already been reduced to ash and the victims’ bodies charred.“We just stood there and started crying. It was done, we could not do anything.”Immanuel Stefanus, the 57-year-old owner of the house and a farm worker at Gobabis, was attending the funeral of his wife’s sister in Omuthiya when he received a call that three of his children were killed by lightning. This was only at 06:00 the next morning.The other two victims were visitors to his house.‘So painful’“We immediately went back to Eenhana and we were told that those who survived are at the hospital,” he said.“This so painful. It is the first time I am hearing of such an incident in this area; I don’t understand why this happened to my children,” he said.Stefanus urged Good Samaritans to help his family with anything, as he earns very little.Epembe constituency councillor Matheus Nanghama also pleaded for help for the family."The family is really in need of help, we all need to come together and assist in this regard," he said.He added that efforts are being made to mobilise the business community and stakeholders to render assistance to the families who lost loved ones.

Family in turmoil as lightning kills five

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-16

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Family in turmoil as lightning kills five

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-16

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