Four people in critical condition after lightning strike near White House

Four people were in critical condition on Thursday after a lightning strike at Washington’s Lafayette Square in front of the White House, a DC fire official said.

The injured — two men and two women — were transported to area hospitals with life-threatening injuries, Vito Maggiolo, a DC Fire and EMS spokesman, said.

Lafayette Square, a 2.8-hectare (seven-acre) public park that lies directly north of the White House, is often crowded with visitors, especially in the summer months. The lightning struck the four people near a tree that stands yards away from the fence that surrounds the presidential residence and offices.

Temperatures in Washington exceeded 32.2 degrees on Thursday, although, with the high humidity, the heat felt like more than 37 degrees, forecasters said. A violent thunderstorm swept through the capital late in the day.

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Officers of the US secret service and US park police, which have a regular presence in the square, went to the assistance of the victims immediately, Mr Maggiolo said. — Reuters

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2022