Two people were killed when lightning struck a group of people on Saturday during the Di Trupa festival in Mathibestad village in North West on Saturday.
The North West department of health confirmed that about 49 people had been admitted to the Mathibestad Community Health Centre (CHC).
It said 150 people had been attended to at the 24-hour health facility after the incident and that 13 critically injured victims had been transferred to Jubilee Hospital in Temba, Gauteng. The majority of the injured victims sustained mild burns.
The department said 34 patients were waiting to be seen by a doctor on Sunday morning and all were stable. The remaining patients were treated and discharged.
North West health MEC Sello Lehari said he was pleased that Mathibestad CHC was fully operational to attend to the victims of the tragedy.
“I can confirm that both day and night duty staff were on site. The health professionals on duty included two doctors, four professional nurses and three enrolled nurses, bringing the total staff complement to nine to effectively attend to patients.
“Emergency medical services (EMS) support was strengthened through the deployment of two North West EMS ambulances, two Gauteng EMS ambulances and planned patient transport (vehicles),” he said.
He expressed his appreciation for the collaborative emergency response.
“We wish to express our appreciation to Gauteng health for assistance with the emergency response, particularly in deploying two ambulances and admitting patients that needed urgent hospitalisation.”
The Moretele local municipality said the festival was suspended for safety reasons after the lightning strike.
Mayor Masango George is expected to visit the families of the two people who died in the incident.
The municipality extended its condolences to the bereaved families and wished those injured a speedy recovery.
TimesLIVE
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