Lightning kills woman, hurt another in Maguindanao del Sur

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

TACURONG CITY – A woman died while her companion was critically hurt when they were hit by lightning while taking shelter in a waiting shed due to heavy rains in Pandag, Maguindanao del Sur on Sunday, officials said.

Lt. Ernesto Rivera, Pandag municipal police chief, said a woman named “Ellaine” and her companion named “Anna,” both residents of Carmen, Cotabato province, were riding a motorbike on their way to Tacurong City, when a downpour prompted them to take shelter in a waiting shed in front of Kayaga Elementary School.

They were under the shed when the lightning struck, killing Ellaine and critically hurting Anna, said Mohamad Mangelen, chairperson of Barangay Kayaga, Pandag, Maguindanao del Sur.

Villagers rushed them both to the Buluan District Hospital, where doctors pronounced Ellaine dead. Anna is still undergoing treatment.