A lightning strike killed two people during a jet skiing activity in the waters off southern Puerto Rico, it was reported on Monday, September 5. Local authorities said the lightning bolt on Sunday afternoon, September 4, struck a 36-year-old man jet ski driver and then chained to another jet ski, where it killed a 26-year-old woman passenger. The driver of the second watercraft survived the natural disaster.
The incident occurred as Hurricane Earl, which was only a tropical storm at that time, passed through the Caribbean Island over the weekend, causing heavy rain and an apparent thunderstorm, which led to the formation of lightning bolts. While lightning fatalities are rare in Puerto Rico, it is still susceptible to the supercharged electric phenomenon, which has been reported in the past several years.
Puerto Rico Lightning Strike
Police investigation reveals the man died immediately following the lightning strike, while the woman died shortly after being taken back to shore, CBS News reports.
Meanwhile, the driver of the second jet ski was not harmed.
The incident took place during a thunderstorm around 5:30 p.m. local time on Sunday, in Cayo Matias near Salinas.
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Puerto Rico Lightning Fatalities
Anecdotal evidence claims men are more likely to be hit by lightning than women. While this notion is still not supported by science, it is apparently the case for lightning fatalities in Puerto Rico.
Between 2006 and 2021, the National Lightning Safety Council only three people who are all male died from the natural event within the said period.
In May 2006, a lightning strike killed a 30-year-old male in the city of Arecibo in an outdoor area.
In June 2009, the same weather phenomenon killed a 43-year-old male in the city of Moca while cutting lawn outside a home.
The latest lightning fatalities on Sunday so far bring the total number of lightning-related death in the United States and its territories to in 2022, according to John Jensenius of the safety council.
Lightning and Severe Weather
Lightnings are giant spark of electricity in the atmosphere traveling between the clouds, the air, or the ground, according to the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Lightning strikes is also one of the oldest observed natural phenomena in the world. It can also be seen not only during thunderstorms but also in volcanic eruptions, extreme forest fires or wildfires, surface nuclear detonations, intense snowstorms, and hurricanes.
A lightning bolt can hit objects like communication towers, trees, skyscrapers, and even an open field.
In the United States, an average of 20 people die from lightning strikes each year with hundreds of injured survivors who are life with a life-long neurological damage, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
Experts remind that there is no safe place outdoors when it comes to being hit by a lightning strike, which depends on the positive or negative charge of one energy from a certain point to another.
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