Lightening strike kills 7 children at religious school in Sudan's Darfur region

KHARTOUM, Sudan – KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — Sudan's state news agency says lightening has struck a religious school in the country's western Darfur region, killing seven children.

The report quoted a local official as saying the children, between the ages of 10 and 13, were attending a Quranic school in the remote village of Sarguilla in southern Darfur. The building was of simple construction and had a thatched roof.

It was not clear if the lightening directly struck the group of children or if it set off a fire.

The local official, Mastour Ahmed Abdul-Magid, says nine others were injured Monday in the crowded school, which had 560 students.

The news report said heavy rains made roads to the village inaccessible.