Horrifying moment hammock seller and female holidaymaker die after being struck by lightning while walking along Mexican beach during thunderstorm
- Two people were struck by lightning and killed on a beach in Michoacán, Mexico on Monday
- Video footage showed a woman walking away from the water when she was hit by a flash of light just before the man was also hit
- The woman was pronounced dead at the scene and the man was rushed to a hospital, where he died
A hammock seller and a female holidaymaker were killed after being struck by lightning on a beach in the western Mexican state of Michoacán.
The man and woman were seen in a video walking on the sands of Maruata Beach when lightning struck them on Monday afternoon.
The female victim appeared to have walked out of the water when she was struck by lightning. The male was then shocked within a second.
The impact of the electric shock sent a beach worker and other swimmers running for their safety.
A woman and a man (circled) were spotted walking on a beach in Michoacán, Mexico, when they were struck by lightning and killed on Monday
A merchant (circled) is seen walking on a beach in Mexico just as lightning struck and killed a woman just meters away from him, moments before he was also shocked and later died in a hospital
Lightning strikes a woman on a beach in Mexico just seconds before a man near her was also shocked. Both individuals were confirmed dead
The female victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The man was rushed to a local hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Aquila Mayor José Valencia revealed that the woman was from the central state of Guanajuato. He also said the man, who sold hammocks on the beach, lived in nearby Colima state.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least 40 million lightning strikes strike the ground in the United States every year.
Although the chance of being struck by lightning each year is less than one in a million, almost 90 percent of victims survive.
The chance of someone being hit multiple times is much smaller; this happens seven times in his life.
National Weather Service data shows that 11 people were killed by lightning strikes in the United States in 2023, including two people in separate boating and swimming incidents.
By comparison, 19 people died after the strike last year, an increase from 11 in 2021.
Beachgoers took cover on a beach in Michoacán, Mexico, on Monday after two people were struck by lightning. One of the victims was pronounced dead at the scene, the other died at an area hospital
Two people were struck by lightning and killed on Monday on a beach in Aquila, a city on the Pacific coast in the Mexican state of Michoacán.
The federal weather agency says there are five ways to do that enlightenment can affect people.
A direct attack takes place in open areas. Although not considered the most common, it can be the deadliest.
“In most direct attacks, some of the current moves along and just over the surface of the skin (called flashover) and some of the current moves through the body – usually through the cardiovascular and/or nervous system,” the National Weather Service said. explains.
A person can also receive a shock from a side flash lightning bolt. Lightning tends to strike an object larger than a victim (e.g. a tree) and some of the current is transferred from the object to the victim.