A man in his 20s is fighting for his life after being struck by lightning while swimming at a beach in Australia, despite clear blue skies and sunshine overhead. The incident occurred on Saturday, November 14, along the New South Wales Central Coast, leaving beachgoers shocked.
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According to a report by ABC News, the man was swimming at Ettalong Beach when lightning struck at around 3 pm. Witnesses said the weather appeared perfectly normal, with no dark clouds directly above the beach.
Bystanders rush to rescue swimmer
People nearby immediately rushed to help the injured swimmer, pulling him from the water and performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until emergency services arrived.
Paramedics subsequently transported him to Gosford Hospital. He was later transferred to Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, where he remained in critical but stable condition on Sunday.
As per 9News, witness Ed Alvarez said storms were visible in the distance towards Palm Beach and Gosford, but the beach itself was sunny.
{{/usCountry}}As per 9News, witness Ed Alvarez said storms were visible in the distance towards Palm Beach and Gosford, but the beach itself was sunny.
{{/usCountry}}"It really came out of nowhere," Alvarez said, recalling the sudden lightning strike.
Another witness, Taylor Lee Quimby, told ABC News she was visiting the beach with her three children when she heard a tremendous noise about 200 metres away.
"All along the beach was so sunny," she said.
Quimby later learnt that a swimmer had been struck by lightning and expressed shock at how unexpectedly the incident had unfolded.
How can lightning strike under clear skies?
Meteorologists explained that the phenomenon, commonly known as "blue sky lightning", occurs when lightning travels beyond the boundaries of a thunderstorm before reaching the ground.
Sarah Scully, a senior meteorologist with Australia's Bureau of Meteorology, told ABC News that such strikes can occur between 15 and 30 kilometres from the storm responsible.
According to Scully, thunderstorms can extend thousands of feet into the atmosphere, allowing electrical discharges to travel sideways through clear air before striking the ground.
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The incident came as severe thunderstorms swept across parts of New South Wales, bringing damaging winds, heavy rainfall and warnings of possible flash flooding.
The Australian Associated Press reported that more dangerous thunderstorms were expected across the region, with authorities warning of destructive winds, large hail and hazardous conditions.