A tragic incident occurred on Sunday in Kako Village, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), where Linson Smith, a father of four from Jawalla, Region Seven, was killed after being struck by lightning. Toshao of Kako Village, Romario Hastings, told this publication in a telephone interview that the community was hosting its Heritage Celebrations as part of Amerindian Heritage Month and Smith was participating in the activities when a thunderstorm developed around 17:00h.
The man was reportedly standing under a mango tree urinating while holding an umbrella when he was struck by lightning.
“There was a thunderstorm, which wasn’t too long. While it was raining, he went to urinate under the mango tree. He had an umbrella, and lightning was flashing at the time,” the Toshao sadly stated.
“One of the strikes hit him, it ripped his clothes, including his jeans and shirt. Debris from the umbrella fell onto his chest, leaving wavy imprints over his heart. He was dead, but we still had to send him to the hospital for confirmation. It was very unfortunate,” Hastings said.
Earlier this month, a storm damaged several houses in Kako Village.
Several days after a thunderstorm tore apart several houses in Kako Village (Cuyuni/Mazaruni), which left multiple households reeling and community infrastructure in need of urgent repairs, the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) deployed relief to affected families, distributing hampers and conducting a full damage assessment. Heavy winds damaged at least five households and ripping the roofs off three sports pavilions. In one instance, the roof of a pavilion was hurled several metres across the school compound, scattering debris and raising fresh concerns about the village’s preparedness for increasingly volatile weather.
The CDC team, also carried out on-the-ground assessments to determine the extent of the damage and to plan further support. The Kako Village Council expressed its gratitude to the CDC for the swift action.