Nine people were sheltering against a thunderstorm at Mombheni reserve near the small town of Mandini, about 550 kilometres (340 miles) southeast of Johannesburg when it was struck late Sunday, said police spokesman Musa Khaba.

"Seven people from one family, three adults and four children, including a nine month-old baby were killed when their home was struck last (Sunday) night," Captain Khaba told AFP.

"They have been burnt to ashes," he said.

Police could not give details on the three survivors but said the region had been his by two nights of heavy storms.

Thunderstorms are a regular feature during South Africa's summer rainfall season, often accompanied by lightning which kills dozens of people every year.

One of South Africa's worst lightning tragedies also happened in KwaZulu-Natal, when 13 people were killed in 2001 under similar circumstances after their thatched-roofed hut was struck during an electric storm.

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