Remember when your mom warned you not to walk outside when there's a storm because lightning might hit you? Turns out mothers do know best.
Two climbers had an electrifying experience over the weekend and unfortunately did not survive to tell the tale.
The men were found on the mountain range of Brecon Beacons, Mid Wales and both apparently died due to being struck by lightning during a thunderstorm. Sources close to the rescuers have said that one of the men had a selfie stick with him that could have contributed to attracting the lightning bolt.
Rescuers also recovered two other climbers who were injured during the storm. The thunderstorm that hit the mountain had caused several fatalities in different areas of the range. Rescuers have stated that though the climbers would not have had enough time to find shelter to avoid the lightning storm, carrying items that can attract lighting is always a danger.
There have been known survivors of lightning strikes. Even though the estimated odds of ever being struck in your lifetime are about 1 in 3,000, The National Severe Storms Laboratory says that a lightning strike can carry anything from 100,000 to 1 billion volts of electricity per strike.
If you are wondering what you can do to protect yourself in case you find yourself in the middle of a lighting storm, the National Severe Storms Laboratory has some suggestions on its website that are easy enough to follow, such as finding safe shelter whether you are in a rural or urban area. It's interesting to note that the site also offers tips for those who are indoors. One suggestion is not to lie down, especially on concrete floors, or lean on concrete walls as the current can travel through the material.
Perhaps the biggest lesson we can all gather from this tragic event is that even though selfie sticks have become a necessity and norm in our culture, it is not wise to take them out during any kind of storm, be it a normal rainstorm and especially during a thunderstorm. Remember, as our mothers used to say, "safety first."
Photo: John Fowler | Flickr
Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns | Flickr
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