A violent electric storm hit the campaigns of Casalacticin the province of Frosinone, causing an unprecedented tragedy: 33 horses died thrown from a lightning discharge while they were looking for shelter under some trees. The episode, which took place on the night between 17 and 18 May 2025, was discovered the following morning by the owner of the animals, an breeder in the Colle San Magno area.
The horses were located in Cornacchia, pasture, when the storm fell on the area. Looking for protection, the animals gathered under a group of trees: a choice that proved fatal. Lightning, or perhaps more than one, hit the area by killing them on the shot. On the spot the Forestry carabinieri he is ASL veterinarianswho confirmed the cause of death: Multiple electrocution from atmospheric discharges.
The event was defined one of the most serious episodes related to bad weather in the region in recent years. Not just horses: Also some birds of prey, including Bornei and Gheppithey were found dead in the same area, also victims of electric discharges. The scene, the witnesses tell, was dramatic: lifeless bodies lying on the ground, without signs of struggle, a sign of an immediate and sudden death.
This is not an isolated episode
Similar tragedies are not new, but rarely reach such high numbers. In the 2022a similar case had struck Garzenoin Lombardy, where they had died 23 horses. The event of the 2016 in Norwaywhere a lighty discharge had killed well 323 reindeer. In the United States, according to the National Weather Service, lightning every year cause the death of hundreds of animals, both from breeding and wild.
This episode highlights how much the risk linked to extreme atmospheric phenomena is underestimated in the world of breeding. In rural areas such as frusinate, sudden meteorological events can have devastating consequences. The hope is that tragedies like this leads to greater awareness and more effective preventive measures.
