20 injured in lightning at Caroline du Sud beach

Twenty people were injured when lightning hit a South Carolina beach on Tuesday evening, officials said.

Twelve children and six adults were taken to local hospitals, while two people left only after the strike in a beach near Lake Murray, said Lexington County spokesperson Vanessa Diaz.

The age of patients were not immediately clear, nor the extent of their injuries, said Diaz. Wounds are considered to be endangering life.

Lightning struck what was a day which is “super hot and sunny”, although a storm cloud has passed in the region, said Diaz.

“He didn’t cry or something like that; it was just a rating of a random storm that passed,” she said.

The Lexington County Fire Service, the Irmo fire district, the emergency medical services of the County Lexington and the Sheriff Department of Lexington County all replied, said Diaz.

The strike, reported around 5 p.m., occurred at the Dreher Shoals dam, said Diaz. The dam is at the public park of Lake Murray, which is belonging to Dominion Energy. Dominion Energy did not immediately respond to requests for comments on Tuesday evening.

The Lac Murray Public Park is about four kilometers northeast of Lexington.

The park was closed on Tuesday evening but should reopen on Wednesday, said Diaz.