DAR ES SALAAM, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- A 14-year-old girl has been killed and a 38-year-old woman was injured after they were struck by lightning in Tanzania's southern highlands region of Katavi, police said on Sunday.
Ally Makame, the Katavi regional police commander, said the lightning strike that hit Tulieni village in Mpanda district on Saturday evening also burned two houses to ashes.
"The girl was inside one of the houses that were struck by lightning. She died on the spot," Makame told a news conference.
He said the lightning strike followed a heavy downpour that was accompanied by strong winds in the area.
Meanwhile, two herders sustained serious injuries when a tree under which they took shelter from rain fell after it was struck by lightning.
The two herdsmen took cover under the tree in Ololosokwan village in Ngorongoro district in Tanzania's northern region of Arusha, said Justine Masejo, the Arusha regional police commander.
Masejo said the two herders were using their cell phones when the lightning struck the tree on Saturday afternoon, adding that none of the livestock they were herding was injured. ■