A 13-year-old boy has died after he and six other people were struck by lightning in New York City.
Park authorities say the tragic accident happened during a particularly sudden and violent storm over Orchard Beach, in the Bronx.
Carlos Ramos, 13, and the six others were sitting on the sand at about 5pm on Thursday when the thunderbolt struck their group.
All seven people were taken to Jacobi Medical Center, where Carlos died. The others – who included two adults and four children – are expected to survive.
According to park officials, everyone on the beach had been warned to leave as the storm approached.
“Prior to the incident, lifeguards had cleared all swimmers from the water, and Parks staff made announcements over the public address system instructing patrons to clear the beach,” the New York City Parks Department told CBS New York. “Our hearts go out to the victims of this tragic incident.”
Witness Ralph Gonzalez said the storm came out of nowhere.
“It was bad,” Mr Gonzalez told WABC. “Everybody was running … Next thing you know, the cloud came above us and lightning just started falling everywhere, all around us.”
Police were soon flooded with 911 calls.
“We got calls for numerous people struck by lightning,” one dispatcher told the network.
Mr Gonzalez struggles to make sense of the tragedy.
“There’s no rationalizing it,” he said. “It’s just Mother Nature, if you want to call it that.”
