Heart-wrenching footage has surfaced, depicting the fatal moment when two individuals were struck and killed by lightning on a Mexican beach.
The incident occurred at Aquila Beach, situated western Mexico, and the images have rapidly gone viral on social media, garnering millions of views.
Local authorities have confirmed the victims as a tourist and a local hammock seller. Tragically, the 33-year-old tourist, Elvia de Jesús, lost her life instantly, while the vendor, Félix Andrés, sustained severe injuries and later succumbed.
The day the lightning struck
This harrowing incident unfolded on a Friday afternoon when a sudden storm approached the beach.
Aquila municipal authorities reported that de Jesús was walking alongside her 34-year-old husband, Roberto, as they exited the water. While Roberto managed to find shelter from the impending storm, tragedy struck his wife. Andrés, who was walking just a few meters away from her, suffered the same fate less than a second later.
The lightning strike sent beachgoers and workers into a panicked retreat, with Roberto desperately attempting CPR until paramedics and Navy officers arrived at the scene in a bid to save her.
Despite their efforts, de Jesus was tragically pronounced dead. Andrés was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
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The local mayor disclosed that de Jesus was a tourist hailing from the state of Guanajuato, while Andrés, known for selling hammocks on the beach, resided in the neighboring state of Guerrero.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States witnesses approximately 40 million lightning strikes reaching the ground each year.
While the annual risk of being struck by lightning is less than one in a million, nearly 90% of victims survive. Data from the US National Weather Service reveals that in 2023, 11 individuals lost their lives due to lightning strikes in the United States, with 19 fatalities recorded last year and 11 in 2021.
Globally, lightning strikes claim the lives of an average of 6,000 to 24,000 people each year, with a similar number suffering injuries.
A lightning strike is essentially an electric shock, wherein a high-voltage electric current is discharged from the atmosphere into the affected body. The magnitude of the current transfer is often significant, resulting in devastating outcomes such as fire, explosions, physical injuries, or even death. Once the electrical charge reaches the ground, it dissipates in the immediate vicinity. In many cases, the intensity of the charge in the immediate aftermath of impact, within a radius of up to tens of meters, can prove fatal. It's noteworthy that most lightning strike victims succumb to secondary injuries stemming from the initial impact.