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More than 300 reindeer were killed by a lightning storm in southern Norway on Friday. On Saturday morning, the guardians found the reindeer littering on the mountain plateau of Hardangervida, based in the Telemark region.

The Norwegian Nature Inspectorate spokesman Knut Nylend blamed the storm for the animal tragedy adding that reindeer are usually migrating in flocks.

The Hardangervidda plateau is a very popular destination when it comes to outdoor activities hosting more than 10,000 reindeer.

“There was an especially heavy thunderstorm in the afternoon. The herd was probably struck dead by the lightning. This is very special. I’ve heard of he told Sputnik News cattle being killed by lightning, but not in such huge volumes”, told Sputnik.

Hardangervidda is the largest National Park in Norway. The preservation is spread over the counties Hordaland, Buskerud, and Telemark.

The National Park includes municipalities of Odda, Ullensvang, and Eidfjord, Hol Nore goes Uvdal, Tinn and Vinje.

The beautiful preservation was established in 1981 and about half of the land is private.

Massive reindeer flocks migrate across the mountain plateau as the season’s change. According to BNO, the animal tragedy might represent the largest number of animals killed by lightning ever recorded.

In 2005, 68 cows were killed by a lightning strike near a farm from Australia.

In southern Norway in the mountain ranges, there are about 30,000–35,000 reindeer with 23 different populations. The largest herd with about 10,000 individuals, was at Hardangervidda.