ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - At least three people died and three others were injured after being struck by lighting in Sulaimani province on Friday.

A lightning strike in Sulaimani’s Dukan district claimed the lives of a father by the name of Mohammed Sarsiyani and his 11-year-old son Arez, while also injuring three other members of the family, according to local authorities.

“We were informed by the officer at Bangird subdistrict police station that lightning had struck a family, killing two of its members,” Amid Adel, Dukan police chief, told The New Region.

Farman Ahmed, executive director of Ranya Teaching Hospital, said the three injured were a mother and two of her children, noting that they are in stable condition.

Hours later, Saman Nadir, head of Sulaimani’s emergency response center, told The New Region that another person in their 40s had been struck by lightning, and was pronounced dead after being transported to the hospital.

“Our teams went to the scene and after providing initial first aid, transported him to hospital, but he lost his life due to the effects of the lightning strike,” Nadir said.

The storm was caused by a cumulonimbus cloud developing over Sulaimani. These clouds are powerful vertical formations that produce thunderstorms, lightning, heavy rain, and sometimes hail.

In December, six Peshmerga fighters in Erbil province’s Balisan were transferred to Sulaimani province’s Ranya for treatment after a lightning strike injured them.

According to NASA, lightning strikes claim 24,000 lives and injure 240,000 every year globally.

“Lightning is also responsible for millions of dollars in property damage per year in addition to losses from work stoppages,” NASA said.