A powerful lightning strike hit a barn in Al Dhafra area of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday, March 24, 2019, burning bird nests, killing about 50 rare birds and causing financial losses exceeding AED20 million (JDs 3,861,130), according to the barn’s owner Khalfan Bin Butti Al Qubaisi.

Qubaisi confirmed the birds that were burned were priceless, pointing out that they were trained to compete in high-level falconry tournaments.

He added that one of the birds was a famous competition winner valued in excess of AED10 million, explaining that "the thunderbolt was very strong and burned everything including the bird nests and building, which became a pile of ashes."