Lighting bolts kill over 300 reindeer in Norway

More than 300 wild reindeer have been killed after they were struck by lightning at a nature park in southern Norway. The deaths were linked to a thunderstorm which battered the Hardangervidda region on Friday. Gamekeepers said they had already counted the lightning-charred bodies of 323 reindeer, which a spokesman described as an "unusually high" death toll. Knut Nylend, a spokesman for the Norwegian Nature Inspectorate, said the reindeer probably died in such high numbers because they were standing close to each other.
It is the second time this month that a large group of animals has been struck to death by lightning. On August 25th, 38 sheep died after they were hit by lightning in the Indian district of Kanchipuram.