Tragedy struck a secondary school in Awka South local council area where lightning killed three students on the spot,leaving six others hospitalised.
The tragedy occured at Tansi International College Okpuno, on Saturday while the students played football barefooted in the rain.
Witnesses said the lightning struck nine of the students while playing football, leaving three of them dead on the spot.
According to witnesses, the students were Senior Secondary School (SS3), and were being trained by their coach ahead of a forthcoming football competition.
The coach had ended the training session before rain started, but some of the students stayed behind to continue with the game.
According to the witnesses, “lightning, accompanied by claps of thunderstorm suddenly enveloped the area and the boys were struck in the process.
“A teacher heard the students screaming and running. He ran to the field and saw at least nine students trembling and jerking on the turf.
“That was when he raised the alarm and people gathered to help. The boys were immediately rushed to the school clinic, from where they were taken to hospital in Awka”.
Six of the nine boys, it was learnt,were resuscitated and are currently receiving treatment in an hospital, but three did not survive and their parents have been contacted.