Two casual labourers have been killed by lightning at Namagera Central sugarcane weighbridge in Jinja district, where they worked as loaders.The victims, Abdul Muwereza, 34, and Hassan Mubiru, 35, were reportedly taking shelter under a jackfruit tree during a rainstorm when lightning struck.Aloysious Wakabi, one of the loaders, said about 15 workers had sought shelter under the tree as rain threatened. However, their supervisor later called some of them to offload sugarcane from a truck.Wakabi said 10 workers responded to the assignment, while four remained behind. Shortly afterwards, they heard a loud blast about five metres from the truck.The workers gathered at their emergency assembly point but realised that four of their colleagues were missing. A search of the weighbridge parking yard led to the discovery of Muwereza and Mubiru lying beneath the jackfruit tree.Scovia Mirembe, a cleaner at the weighbridge, said the two victims were rushed to Buwenge General Hospital, where they were pronounced dead on arrival.Their bodies were later transferred to Jinja Regional Referral Hospital mortuary for postmortem examinations before being handed over to their families for burial.Mirembe said the incident had exposed the lack of designated shelter at the weighbridge, forcing casual workers to seek refuge under trees during rainfall.She said the workers needed proper shelter to protect them from dangerous weather conditions while carrying out their duties.Meanwhile, Jinja District LC V chairperson Moses Batwala has urged residents to observe government weather safety advisories, particularly during thunderstorms.Batwala cautioned residents against taking shelter under trees during thunderstorms, noting that trees can attract lightning and expose people sheltering beneath them to danger.The post Lightning strike kills two sugarcane loaders in Jinja appeared first on The Observer Media Ltd.