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Australian tourist hit by lightning in Limpopo

An Australian doctor was killed when she and a group of friends were struck by lightning near Haenertsburg, Limpopo last week.

Lynne Dowd, her husband Bruce, another Australian couple Colin and Aislinn Walwyn and their South African friends Charles and Ann Luther had climbed up a large boulder, known as Brawn’s Knob, about 22km outside Haenertsburg on Thursday.

It was initially a sunny day, but became cloudy. It started to drizzle and then lightning struck the group, flinging them apart.

Lynne Dowd was knocked unconscious. One of the two Labrador dogs they had taken with them was killed. The adults all sustained burns. Dowd, based in Sydney, was taken to Mankweng Hospital in a critical condition. She never regained consciousness and died on Friday.

It was the Dowd’s first visit to South Africa.

– SAPA

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