US: Lightning strike near White House leaves three dead
Washington (US), August 6: At least three people were killed and one was injured after a lightning strike across the street from the White House on Thursday night, local media reported.
According to the media reports, the lightning hit Lafayette Square, just north of the White House leaving four people critically injured, two male and two female.
James Mueller, 76, and Donna Mueller, 75, died as a result of injuries sustained during the strike, according to a DC Metropolitan Police spokesperson. The couple was said to be from Wisconsin.
Furthermore, authorities reported that a 29-year-old man died as a result of his injuries on Friday afternoon.
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After temperatures reached into the mid-to-upper 90s earlier in the day, triggering a heat advisory, several storms with frequent lightning reportedly flared up in the region Thursday evening. Heat indexes hit 100 to 110 degrees.
According to data from the past ten years, as of August 4th, the United States had 16 lightning-related fatalities every year.
John Jensenius, a specialist with the National Lightning Safety Council, said that the deaths this week were the first in Washington since May 17, 1991, when lightning hit a tree at a lacrosse game, killing one person and injuring 10.
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-PTC News
