jfid – A 10-year-old girl in Queensland, Australia, was struck by lightning as a severe storm swept through the area.
The girl, whose name has not been disclosed, was at a private property on Clarke’s Road, Beerwah, on Saturday, December 16, 2023, around 2:30 p.m. local time.
According to local media reports, the girl suffered severe burns and is in critical condition. She was airlifted to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital. It is unknown whether she will fully recover from the rare incident.
Lightning is a very dangerous and deadly natural phenomenon. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), lightning can reach temperatures of about 27,000 degrees Celsius, or five times hotter than the surface of the sun.
Lightning can also produce an electric current of up to 30,000 amperes, or 300 times greater than the electric current in a house.
When someone is struck by lightning, the electric current can damage the heart, brain, nerves, and other organs.
Symptoms that victims may experience include fainting, seizures, burns, fractures, hearing, vision, or memory disorders, and even death.
However, there are also some cases where people who were struck by lightning managed to survive and recover.
One of them is Roy Sullivan, a national park ranger in Virginia, United States, who is famous as the person most frequently struck by lightning in history.
He was struck by lightning seven times between 1942 and 1977, and always survived each incident.
According to NOAA, the chances of a person being struck by lightning in their lifetime are one in 15,300.
However, those odds can change depending on factors such as location, weather, activity, and behavior.
To reduce the risk of being struck by lightning, NOAA advises people to avoid open places, tall trees, metal objects, and water during thunderstorms.
If there is no safe shelter, people are advised to bow their heads, bend their knees, and keep their feet off the ground.
The thunderstorm that hit Queensland on Saturday was part of the impact of former cyclone Jasper, which brought heavy rain, strong winds, and flooding to most of the area.
According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, the storm is also moving towards the Northern Territory and is expected to weaken into a tropical depression on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the family and friends of the girl who was struck by lightning hope that she can recover soon and recover from her injuries.
They also thanked the medical staff who provided first aid and intensive care to the girl. They said that the girl is a cheerful, smart, and loving child, who deserves a second chance in life.
