More than a dozen animals are believed to have been killed on farms in South Galway when a bolt of lightning struck a steel electricity mast during last weekend’s storm.

Thousands of homes and businesses throughout the county were without power after thunderstorms and heavy rain battered the West on Sunday night and Monday morning.

And while spectacular photos of lightning strikes over Galway Bay were shared on social media, at least two farmers near Gort were left devastated after their livestock were electrocuted and killed during the storm that raged for 10 hours.

Local sources said at least seven cattle, several sheep and around four horses – understood to be two mares and two foals – were killed when lightning struck an ESB mast in a field in the townland of Garryland, near Tierneevin, outside Gort.

Witnesses described how sparks flew, like welding steel, and the fire could be seen for miles, including in Galway City. It’s understood fire balls flew through the sky after the incident, with local sources saying it was lucky nobody was killed.

One of the first people on the scene, a local farmer who farms neighbouring land, said the steel mast looked like it was being welded, as sparks flew, and it burst into flames.

“You could see it (the mast) glowing for seven or eight minutes. Three (electricity) lines are on that mast, and it broke the connection in the middle one, and then the wire came down and touched the mast,” he said.

Caption: Lightning…caused devastation on farm.

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