7 youth group members were hospitalized after lightning struck while they were hiking in Utah
By Dalia Faheid, CNN
(CNN) — Seven members of a youth group in Utah were hospitalized after lightning struck the ground as they hiked on Thursday afternoon, authorities said.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints youth group from Salina was hiking in the eastern part of Sevier County when it began to rain around 1:45 p.m., the Sevier County Sherrif’s Office said.
Lightning then struck the ground next to the group as water puddled on the ground from the light rainstorm, according to the office.
Approximately 50 youth group members “felt the shock of the lightning,” with seven of them having medical concerns “due to the electrocution,” the sheriff’s office said. They were taken to Salina by ambulances and were “triaged for their symptoms.”
Two of them were experiencing serious symptoms and were flown to a children’s hospital in Lehi. The five others were taken to two hospitals in Gunnison and Richfield. None of the injuries are expected to be life-threatening, according to the sheriff’s office.
The rest of the group was accounted for and brought back to Salina. They have been returned to their parents and there are no more medical issues that have been reported, authorities said.
Utah has been hit by severe weather this week that’s produced flash flood and severe thunderstorm warnings, with the main threats being high winds and hail, according to the National Weather Service. At 1 p.m. Thursday, the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City issued a severe thunderstorm warning in the area, noting that frequent cloud-to-ground lightning was occurring with the storms.
Although about 40 million lightning strikes hit the ground in the United States each year, the odds of being struck by lightning in a given year are less than one in a million and almost 90% of all lightning strike victims survive, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Still, lightning kills about 20 people each year in the United States and injures hundreds more, according to the National Weather Service. In 2023, there were 14 lightning-related deaths reported, according to the National Lightning Safety Council.
A study conducted by the National Weather Service found that 64% of lightning deaths between 2006 to 2012 occurred while people were participating in leisure activities, including fishing, camping, boating, soccer and golf.
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CNN’s Paradise Afshar and Gene Norman contributed to this report.
