Tourists struck by lightning on popular Blue Mountains walking trail during electrical storm

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A 22-year-old woman is in hospital after getting an electrical shock from a lightning strike in the Blue Mountains. It's believed she was part of a group of tourists caught in a freak storm near the popular Echo Point lookout.

Transcript

00:00 Storms rolling in over the Three Sisters, a milder scene than the thundering skies over

00:07 the tourist site yesterday.

00:10 By the time our weather alerts were pinging in our pockets, the storm was already upon

00:16 us.

00:17 Two tourists were holding a metal railing when it was struck by a lightning bolt in

00:21 the afternoon.

00:22 They were coming up the staircase, the women at the wrong time were holding onto the metal

00:28 guide rail and were electrocuted as a result of a lightning strike further down the guide

00:34 rail.

00:35 They were able to walk back to a visitor's centre where staff raised the alarm.

00:40 One of the women I understand had visible burns.

00:42 Our staff immediately alerted emergency services and the two women were taken to Katoomba Hospital.

00:49 One of the women, a 22-year-old, remains in hospital in a stable condition.

00:54 Tourists have returned to this popular site, but there could be more storms on the way.

00:59 Authorities say it's a cautionary tale for those caught in wild weather.

01:03 So our urging to people is to be cautious, be mindful, look for the weather alerts.

01:08 It's about being careful, being sensible and understanding that you are on the edge of

01:13 wilderness.

01:14 It's starting to rain now, but we'll see what happens.

01:17 I think it's going to rain hard.

01:19 We are headed for Bathurst, so hopefully missing the majority of it.

01:24 More wild weather to watch out for as a stormy summer continues.

01:28 More wild weather to watch out for as a stormy summer continues.

01:31 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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