ABU DHABI, 24 June 2007 — Sixteen camels were struck dead by lightning near farmland in Ghayathi in the western region of the UAE, local media reported yesterday. Camel herder Mohammed Ashir Al-Mazroui told a local newspaper that the camels had broken away from the main herd on Thursday and climbed to the top of a sand dune when a freak thunderstorm formed in the sky, causing lightning that killed the animals. The herder said the storm was short but violent. He said the remainder of his flock were just meters away, but were left unhurt. Mazroui warned herders to be wary of their flocks wondering onto to elevated dunes.