By Mirrium Fumulani

Balaka, November 8, Mana: Heavy rains characterized by strong winds have injured two Standard Five learners at Balaka Primary School following the destruction of a roof of their classroom.  

Confirming the incident, Head Teacher for Balaka Primary School, Dayton Malefula said the tragedy occurred on Thursday afternoon when the area experienced a heavy down pour while classes were in session.  

He said due to the heavy winds which accompanied the rains, the roof of the classroom collapsed, injuring the two learners in the process.

“Immediately after the accident, I took the kids out of the class room with the help of other teachers and rushed to the hospital for the children to receive medical attention,” he said.

In a related development, a woman from Mgawanyemba area, Agnes Makata was also rushed to Balaka District Hospital for treatment after the roof of her house collapsed.

An eye witness, Esther Phiri said she heard a loud crack followed by a deafening crash of the roof leading to collapsing due to pressure of the windy rainfall.

“I was in my living room when I heard this huge noise and I ran outside seeing the roof had collapsed. I immediately called people who live around to help,” said Phiri.

She added: “When other people arrived at the scene, we entered the house of Agnes and found her trapped under the rubble so we quickly took her to Balaka Hospital where she was admitted.”  

Meanwhile, Balaka District Disaster Risk Management Officer, Alick Milanzi has confirmed the incidents, saying a team is currently on the ground to provide immediate help to the survivors and also assess the magnitude of the damage.

Milanzi, therefore, urged all people to stay indoors during severe weather and to report any incident to relevant authorities.

Apart from injuring people, the storm has also destroyed ESCOM powerlines and trees, among others, in some parts of Balaka.