"Freak tree explosion kills herd of Kent cows"

Spotted by Julia M in Kent News:

A farmer is counting the cost after a freak bolt of lightning caused a tree to explode, killing a herd of cows sheltering from the storm beneath it. The farmer, who did not want to be identified, confirmed the cattle were all killed by the act of nature at the farm in Shepway.

Speaking to our reporter they said: “It killed the lot. It’s very upsetting.”

A source within the agricultural industry explained: “About nine cows were killed in one go. The herd had been sheltering under the tree and then it just exploded because it was struck by lightning. Tree trunks can explode if struck by lightning when the sap is exposed to an extreme heat and becomes high-pressure steam. It literally makes the tree blow up.”

Although tree explosions are rare, it happens more if the trunk is in a rotten state.

National Farmers’ Union livestock adviser for the south east, James Osman, said: “This incident is clearly very upsetting for the farmer involved, although it is a freak natural occurrence. Cattle are known to sometimes shelter under trees during bad weather; however,it is important to note that situations like these are extremely rare.”

Texas A&M University agricultural expert Brent McRoberts added: “Unless there is a barn nearby, livestock are out in the open during thunderstorms, so their chances of being hit are greater.”

Some 19 cows also died recently whilst hiding under a tree during a heavy storm in Canada, and a herd of 16 bullocks were killed under the shelter of trees in East Lothian in 2009.

It must be one hell of a bang to create enough splinters to kill all those cows in one go. It's not really a cow attack story, rather the reverse, but wonderfully gruesome nonetheless.