At least eight people were injured after being hit by lightning on a Florida beach, according to news reports on July 21.
The person who was directly hit by the lightning bolt reportedly has life-threatening injuries.
Another seven people were thought to be in the vicinity of the strike area, Clearwater Fire Department Deputy Chief Marvin Pettingill told the news outlet.
The strike occurred at around 12:45 p.m. on Sunday near Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill, located at 7 Rockaway Street, reports said.
Other details about the incident are not clear.
The names of the victims were not revealed.
Recent Incidents
Last month, Lion County Safari officials confirmed that two giraffes were killed by a lightning strike during a storm several weeks ago.“The whole team here was devastated and we’re still in the mourning process weeks later,” said Haley Passeser, a spokesperson for Lion Country Safari, to the station. “There were a lot of tears shed. Some of our keepers had to take some personal time off to process.”
When thunderstorms hit the area weeks ago, officials opened up the animal shelter area in the park, but it is up to the animals themselves whether they seek shelter or stay outside.
“A lightning strike can result in a cardiac arrest (heart stopping) at the time of the injury, although some victims may appear to have a delayed death a few days later if they are resuscitated but have suffered irreversible brain damage,” according to the weather agency.
The average number of lightning-related deaths reported in the U.S. is 29 per year. About 243 people are injured annually, it adds.
“Over the last 30 years (1989-2018) the U.S. has averaged 43 reported lightning fatalities per year. Only about 10 percent of people who are struck by lightning are killed, leaving 90 percent with various degrees of disability. More recently, in the last 10 years (2009-2018), the U.S. has averaged 27 lightning fatalities,” the agency says.