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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Bill McLoughlin

Lightning strike at US military base kills soldier and injures nine

A stock photo of a lightning bolt

(Picture: Getty Images)

A soldier has been killed after a lightning strike hit a US military base.

Authorities revealed the strike hit the Fort Gordon military base in Georgia on Wednesday afternoon and left nine other soldiers injured.

"It is with a heavy heart Fort Gordon confirms one of the soldiers in the lightning strike this afternoon succumbed to their injuries," said Fort Gordon's deputy public affairs officer Anne Bowman.

Officials have not yet released details on the status of the nine injured soldiers.

The soldier’s identity will also not be released until the family has been notified, Ms Bowman said.

Authorities at Fort Gordon, a military base near Augusta in the eastern part of the state, told news outlets the lightning strike occurred around midday local time, injuring the soldiers in a training area.

A base news release said Fort Gordon's Department of Emergency Services and Emergency Medical Services responded immediately.

They were taken to Dwight D Eisenhower Medical Center which is located on the base.

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