Lightning damages school roof

Terrifying thunder accompanied by lightning flashes yesterday left a hole in the concrete ceiling of a classroom at the Ellerslie Secondary School.

Scared children screamed and ran believing that gunfire had erupted around 1 p.m. when the island was in the midst of a flood watch for certain areas.

“Children ran screaming and crying while others grabbed their bags; we thought it was gunshots,” one child said.

No one was injured, said principal, Major Errol Brathwaite even though reports surfaced that one child might have been bruised in the scramble.

“Nobody was struck . . . . Because of the weather and we were not sure what was happening we spoke to the ministry and got permission to dismiss just to ensure that everything is okay because we don’t want to have people in an unsafe place,” Brathwaite said. (AC)

Please read the full story in today’s WEEKEND NATION, or in the eNATION edition.