Man injured in lightning strike at sea

A man was injured in a lightning strike at sea near the capital Malé at 12:15pm today. He suffered injuries to his head and ears and is receiving treatment at the ADK hospital.

The man was aboard a speedboat traveling from Malé to the airport island, Hulhulé.

Another lightning strike earlier in the morning had cut off electricity at the State Trading Organization’s head offices in Malé.

Muslih Maseeh, STO’s assistant general manager, said no staff was injured. A team of experts from the power plant are checking to see if the eight-floor building had suffered any damage.

The meteorology department predicts heavy showers and thunderstorms in central and northern atolls in the Maldives.

It has been raining in Malé since 11:30 pm. Streets are flooded across town.

Dr Mohamed Muizz, the housing minister, today blamed the opposition dominated Malé City Council for the state of the city’s roads. The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had destroyed drainage systems and made roads unusable for vehicles, he claimed at the parliament.

The ministry is planning to pave roads with asphalt and lay new paving stones, he said.

MDP MP Eva Abdulla dismissed Muizz’s claims, noting the streets had been paved during former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s tenure.

She also noted that Muizz has now served as housing minister for four years, under former President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan and incumbent President Abdulla Yameen. “This is enough time to complete projects,” she said.

The cabinet in October transferred the council’s oversight of the streets to the Maldives Road Development Corporation (MRDC).