A foreigner was swimming in the sea when a thunderstorm began. Despite urgent requests from others to get out, the guy continued to stay in the water.
A 26-year-old British tourist, who was in the Agia Agati sea area, was struck by lightning and died. According to media reports, the accident occurred around 2 pm. An EKAB ambulance rushed to the scene. With the help of other bathers, the young man was taken to land, where rescuers began to fight for his life.
The victim was placed in an ambulance to be taken to the Archangelos Health Center, where doctors and paramedical personnel continued the rescue efforts. The doctors did everything possible to bring him back to life, but, unfortunately, it was too late.
The Authority of the Central Port of Rhodes has been informed about the incident, whose employees will conduct an appropriate investigation into the tragic incident.
Attention! You can’t swim in a thunderstorm. When lightning strikes a pond, the lightning current spreads through the water in all directions, and part of it can pass through the body of a bathing person, causing muscle cramps, respiratory paralysis, fibrillation or cardiac arrest. This can happen up to two kilometers away from the location of the lightning strike.
The coastline is one of the most likely locations for a lightning strike. Therefore, during a thunderstorm, it is not recommended to be on the shore. A lightning discharge can also occur in a tent, for example. Numerous cases of lightning strikes of people in the water or on the shore of water bodies are reported every year.
More Stories
Tragedy on Alonissos: 62-year-old woman, who was personally trained in diving, died
Fire in Piraeus on electric escalators (video)
Three minors were robbed at knifepoint near the Acropolis