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Germany: Lightning strike in Dresden injures 10

May 21, 2024

Three women and seven men were injured and taken to nearby hospitals after lightning hit the banks of the Elbe during a thunderstorm. The fire department urged anyone else who may have been injured to seek help.

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Rescue workers are on the banks of the Elbe on May 20, 2024.
Emergency services successfully revived two men after they experienced cardiac arrestImage: Benedict Bartsch/xcitepress/dpa/picture alliance

A lightning strike in the city of Dresden in eastern Germany on Monday evening injured 10 people, four of them seriously.

Lightning hit the banks of the Elbe during a thunderstorm in the German city shortly after 5:00 pm (1500 GMT).

Emergency services successfully revived two men after they experienced cardiac arrest following the incident.

Three women and seven men aged between 26 and 41 were injured and were taken to nearby hospitals. 

Thunderstorm warning in Saxony

Dresden police cordoned off the area and sent a helicopter to search the area for any injured people.

The fire department urged anyone else who may have been injured to seek help, amid struggling to rule out whether more were injured.

"If you are experiencing symptoms such as a racing heart, irregular heartbeat, numbness or tingling in your extremities, please see a doctor immediately!" 

Earlier, the German Weather Service in the eastern city of Leipzig had warned of severe thunderstorm activity in parts of Saxony, of which Dresden is the capital city.

Rescue workers are on duty in Dresden on May 20, 2024.
Three women and seven men were injured and were taken to nearby hospitalsImage: Benedict Bartsch/xcitepress/dpa/picture alliance

ss/rmt (dpa, AFP)