By CHILA NAMAIKO and  REBECCA MUSHOTA-
TWO brothers have been struck to death by lightning while their mother is battling for her life in Monze Mission Hospital.
The mysterious lightning also gutted their grass-thatched house to ashes at Muyobe Settlement Farm in Monze.
The deceased are Choobe Choobe, 19, who was a Grade 11 pupil at Monze Secondary School and Barrack Mainza, 25, both of Muyobe Settlement Farm No. 11.
Southern Province Deputy Police chief, Milner Muyambango said the incident happened around 19:00 hours on Thursday.
The lightning killed the two instantly while their mother, Fiona Chinungwe, 42, sustained serious burns on her body.
“The lightning first threw them outside their hut and killed the two sons instantly while the mother sustained serious lightening burns on her body,” he said
At the time of the incident, Ms Chinungwe, was preparing food in the same hut and in the process, was also struck by the lightening.
Mr Muyambango said the bodies of the deceased were taken to Monze Mission Hospital mortuary where Ms Chinungwe was admitted and receiving treatment.
Meanwhile, a pastor at the Victory Centre Church in Nchelenge has been found dead at the shores of Lake Mweru after he went missing from his home in unexplained circumstances.
Chrispin Mukuwe, 30, a pastor at the Victory Centre, a branch of the Apostolic Church in Zambia, was found dead at the shores of Lake Mweru on Saturday around 17:00 hours in a decomposed state.
Luapula Province Police Commissioner Malcolm Mulenga said yesterday that Pastor Mukuwe who was living alone at his house in Kariba Township in Nchelenge was reported missing to police on Friday last week.
He had not been seen since Wednesday last week.
“Mr Mutale Hansingo who lives near the pastor in Kariba Township  reported to police on Friday that the pastor had not been seen since October 15, this year,” Mr Mulenga said.
Members of the public, however, found the body of Pastor Mukuwe on the shores of Lake Mweru in a decomposed state on Saturday around 17:00 hours.
Mr Mulenga said Police were investigating the death of Pastor Mukuwe.
He said Pastor Mukuwe’s body has since been taken to Mbereshi Mission Hospital for a postmortem to ascertain the cause of death.