15 Aug, 2020 @ 10:57
1 min read

Deadly lightning kills over 30 sheep, a cow and a ram in rural Spain

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A LIGHTNING strike has killed over 30 sheep, a cow and a ram in Sorogain, in the Valley of Erro.

The macabre images released by the Guardia Civil look like something out of a gory, zombie-apocalypse film.

The Guardia Civil was alerted by a farmer from Sorogain, Navarra, that an electrical storm which lashed down on the area on Saturday night, had left a ghastly aftermath.

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MASSACRE: Sheep killed by lightning (Civil Guard)

It had resulted in the death of 28 sheep and one ram on his property.

Several other sheep and a cow owned by a neighbouring farmer also died as a result of the electrical storm after being struck by lightning.

Death by lightning is rare but not unusual.

In August 2016, lightning killed 323 reindeer in a private hunting reserve in central southern Norway, in a natural massacre that counts as the deadliest lightning strike on record.

Guinness World Records says the ‘worst lightning strike disaster’ occurred in 1971, when a bolt took down a commercial airplane in Peru, killing 91 people.

Guinness reports that the largest recorded number of livestock killed by a single lightning bolt is 68.

The incident took place in New South Wales, Australia, on October 31, 2005. A further three jersey cows were paralyzed for a few hours, but later recovered.

There is also a recording of 52 geese in Canada in 1932 to have died from a lightning bolt.

An estimated 24,000 people die each year from lightning, of which Spain sees an average of 10-15 people.

The riskiest activities include fishing, boating, camping, and golf.

Click here to read more Other News from The Olive Press.

Cristina Hodgson

Half English, half Spanish animal person. Cristina loves writing about all things fitness, travel and culture, she is also a script writer and novelist. When she's not typing away, you can find her enjoying outdoor sports somewhere off the beaten track in Andalucia. If you have a story get in touch! newsdesk@theolivepress.es

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