A tragedy of rare intensity occurred on the evening of Saturday, October 4, 2025, in the Pety district, one of the 21 districts of the rural commune of Koumbia, Gaoual prefecture. A deadly lightning strike struck a hut where several women and children were staying, causing the death of three people, all female, aged between 12 and 40.

According to information gathered from Mamadou Djimy Camara, vice-president of the Koumbia special delegation, the tragedy occurred around 5 p.m., while the victims were in a field, deep in the bush, accompanied by five other children. "There were eight people in total, including five children. When the lightning struck, the current killed the three oldest people. The hut then caught fire. The three women died instantly."

"Faced with this tragedy, one of the surviving girls went to the village to raise the alarm. The local authorities were quickly contacted. The next day, a funeral was organized," explained Mr. Camara.

The victims were identified as follows:

Idiatou Benté Camara, 40 years old, mother of seven children, daughter of Mamadou Lamarana and Koumba Tenin;

Fatoumata Sidibé, 25 years old, mother of three children, daughter of Manga and Kadiatou Diogo;

Kadiatou Camara, 12 years old, daughter of Gallé Ramara and Idiatou Benté Camara.

The hut that housed the victims and children was completely burned, as were its contents. The five surviving children, deeply shocked, narrowly escaped death. The vice-president of the special delegation launched an appeal for humanitarian aid to care for these children, orphaned and traumatized by this tragedy.

This tragic incident recalls another event that occurred on May 23, 2025, in the village of Souro, Kembéra district, where lightning killed two people, including a mother of three. Before this latest tragedy, several localities in Koumbia had already suffered severe flooding last September, causing significant material damage.