Lighting strike on wet ground sent 7 from Utah youth church group to hospital

Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY

Updated June 29, 2024 at 2:23 p.m.·1 min read

Seven kids on a hike with their church were hospitalized Thursday after a lightning bolt struck the wet ground they were standing on, officials said.

A youth group with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of Salina, Utah was hiking when it began to rain and the water puddled on the ground, according to a Facebook post from the Sevier County Sheriff's Office.

The lightning bolt struck the ground next to the group, and approximately 50 of them felt the shock of it, police said.

Two of the seven youth members who were transported to the hospital for electrocution concerns experienced "some serious symptoms," according to the sheriff, but they are not expected to be life-threatening injuries.

Lightning strikes: Chances of being struck by lightning are low, but safety knowledge is still important

How common is it to get struck by lightning?

The chance of being struck by lightning is about one in 1.22 million, but fatal strikes are most common during the summer months.

At least three people have died from lightning strikes this year, including a a 59-year-old man in New Jersey, a 73-year-old man in Florida and a 51-year-old rancher, along with 34 of his cattle, in Colorado.

Still, while lightning strikes are on the rise, deaths from strikes are declining and reached a record low last year.

Experts caution people to stay inside during a thunderstorm.

Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lightning strike hospitalizes 7 in Utah youth church group hiking

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How common is it to get struck by lightning?

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