Nine Schoolchildren Remain In Hospital After Being Struck By Lightning in South Africa

Thirteen South African students got the shock of their lives when they were struck by lightning during severe whether, local authorities reported. According to South African news site News24, nine students remained in hospital on Wednesday, with three of the schoolchildren still in critical condition.

The schoolchildren were struck during two separate occasions, GlobalPost reported. Four girls were struck on Monday, while nine boys were hit on Tuesday. Of the nine boys, four have already been discharged from the hospital.

According to News24, the girls, from Protea Glen Secondary School, were all aged 16 and were hit while heading home from school. Gauteng education department spokesperson Charles Phahlane told the news site, "One of them is in critical condition and three are stable."

Of the nine boys hit, all of which were from King Edward VII School, four were discharge and a fifth was discharged on Wednesday. News24 reported that two of the boys remained in critical condition. The boys, ages 16 and 18, were on a cricket field when they were struck by a bolt of lightning.

GlobalPost reported that the South African weather service reports over 260 deaths by lightning every year in the country. These figures are based on Statistics SA data between 1999 and 2007, when 2375 lightning deaths were reported, South African news site Times Live reported.

Lightning is so common in South African that schools have set up warning systems, GlobalPost reported. Times Live reported that at least seven people have already died due to lightning in South African since the beginning of the year.