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Opera House in Sydney (symbolic image)
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DAVID GRAY / REUTERS
Four people were struck by lightning in the Australian metropolis of Sydney. The impact occurred on Monday in a park near the opera, where the two men and two women had taken refuge under a tree from a thunderstorm, rescue workers said.
"They all briefly lost consciousness," Dominic Wong of the local emergency service told reporters. In addition, those affected suffered burns and showed heart symptoms. The victims were treated by paramedics at the scene of the accident and taken to hospitals in Sydney in a “serious and stable” condition.
Getting struck by lightning is unlikely. In Germany, it is more likely to match six numbers in the lottery than to be killed by lightning. Every year around 200 people in this country are struck by lightning, and on average seven cases end fatally.
When lightning strikes a person, an electric current flows through the person. The heat can burn the skin and sometimes even damage organs. In the worst case, the lightning triggers cardiac arrhythmias, which are fatal.
bam/AFP