Four hospitalized after lightning strike on beach

A lightning hit a barbeque party on Bibi Beach in Itoman Sunday afternoon leaving four men attending a barbeque party hospitalized, one of them in critical condition.

According to Itoman Fire Department, a rescue crew was called to Bibi Beach about 14:45 Sunday, after a lightning had struck a party of men barbequing on the beach. Four men were taken to a hospital, including a 40-year-old man from Ginowan who apparently was hit directly.

The man was in a cardiac arrest after he was struck. A lifeguard on duty used an AED device to restart the man’s heart, and the rescue crew that included a doctor managed to get the injured man spontaneously breathing again.

When the rescue team arrived at the scene, the man had burns on his chest and the lower half of his body. One of the three other men suffered a broken finger bone and all had burns.

The men were barbecuing when the thunderbolt hit about 3 minutes after a lightning warning was announced for Okinawa main island.

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01:02 30 Mar , 2024