Atleast 13 people have been killed by lighting in Malawi as Cyclone Ana hits Malawi.
The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DODMA) says a total number of 26 people have died due to lightning strikes since the start of the current rainy season.
Twenty-one of the 39 deceased people are males while 18 are females.
The department has also registered a total of 245 injuries (145 females and 100 males). The injuries are mainly due to strong winds, stormy rains and lightning occurrences.
Weather experts in Malawi usually advise people to seek shelter indoors or in completely enclosed structures during thunderstorms in order to avoid lightning strikes.
Deputy Director of Climate Change and Meteorological Services, Lucy Ntilatila, said the Cyclone is in Mozambique channel from where it is going to move towards Malawi, entering through Mulanje.
She added that although the centre is far from Malawi, the cyclone has already started affecting the country and the effects are huge.
She, therefore, advised the public to move to safer and higher areas, avoid crossing flooded rivers and walking through running water as well as staying away from power lines and electrical wires among other measures to reduce damages due to disasters.
