"Having become aware of the tragic atmospheric episodes of recent days in the provinces of Huíla and Huambo, which killed nearly 70 fellow citizens due to a direct impact of lightning, I join in the pain and anguish of their family and friends", said João Lourenço, in a condolence message.
João Lourenço extended, on behalf of the executive and himself, "the feeling of solidarity with those injured as a result of those natural phenomena".
The head of state highlighted that the competent authorities, together with the provincial governments, were instructed to "do everything to protect the lives of the populations", given the increasing incidence of these events related to the rainy season.
The President instructed that several initiatives be created such as direct monitoring of the situation, the provision of all useful support to those affected and the reinforcement of awareness-raising actions to avoid exposure to rays.
In the last case that was registered, on Thursday, in the municipality of Cacocanda, Huíla, 11 people, who were in the field, died after being hit by electrical discharges and three others were seriously injured, according to the spokeswoman for the Civil Protection Service and Local firefighter, Teresa Abel.
The country has been hit by floods in recent weeks. In the province of Luanda, intense rainfall was recorded almost throughout the day on Thursday.
According to data from the Civil Protection and Fire Service of Luanda, the rains caused several inductions of schools (16), medical centers (3), police stations (2), shopping centers (1), the partial collapse of residences (3) , the damage to medium voltage poles (4), leaving several roads impassable (64) and bridges in critical condition (5).
News circulating on social media reports the disappearance of at least two people as a result of the rain.
