Hundreds of reindeer die in lightning storm

It was unclear whether the herd had been killed by a single lightning bolt or several. Photo: Reuters
It was unclear whether the herd had been killed by a single lightning bolt or several. Photo: Reuters

A freak lightning storm has killed 323 reindeer in a remote mountainous area of Norway, officials say.

Dead animals were found lying on top of each other, many with their antlers entangled, after the thunderstorm on the Hardanger plateau in southern Norway on Friday.

"We've never had anything like this with lightning," Kjartan Knutsen of Norway's nature surveillance agency said on Monday, adding there were sometimes isolated cases of sheep or reindeer struck down.

Reindeer tend to group together when in danger. It was unclear whether the herd had been killed by a single lightning bolt or several.

Hardanger was extremely wet on Friday, helping conduct lightning.

"The high moisture in both the ground and the air was probably an explanation for why so many animals died," Olav Strand, a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institue for Nature Research, said.

Experts flew in by helicopter to take samples of the dead reindeer, as part of a project to monitor elk and deer for diseases. Five of the 323 animals were found alive but badly injured and were shot by wildlife officials.

Hardanger has about 12,000 reindeer and hunters are allowed to shoot 2000 a year for their meat.

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