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PAGE, Ariz. — Two women were hospitalized in Utah after being struck by lightning while visiting a popular Glen Canyon National Recreation Area site just south of the Utah-Arizona border Monday.
Page, Arizona and National Park Service emergency crews responded to a report of two people struck by lightning near the rim of Horseshoe Bend. Police said a severe storm dropped heavy rain in the area and "many people got caught in the rainstorm" when lightning struck the two women.
Crews arrived to find a 22-year-old woman and a 23-year-old woman, who were visiting from the Netherlands and Australia, were injured, according to park officials. Both women were flown by medical helicopter to St. George Regional Hospital.
Their names and conditions were not immediately released.
Both park officials and Page police said the incident is a reminder to take safety precautions during a thunderstorm, especially since storms are frequent in the area during the summer months.
The National Weather Service notes seven people have been killed by lightning in the U.S. this year, but lightning kills about 20 people and seriously injures hundreds more every year. The agency recommends that people seek shelter in a building or a metal-topped vehicle with its windows up after hearing thunder.
It's recommended people stay inside at least 30 minutes after the last thunderclap.
"If you hear thunder, lightning is close enough to strike you," the agency writes. "When you hear thunder, immediately move to safe shelter."
If that's not possible outdoors, people are advised to:
- Move away from hills, mountain ridges, peaks or other elevated areas.
- Don't lie flat on the ground and avoid sheltering under an isolated tree.
- Avoid bodies of water and stay away from barbed wire fences, power lines, windmills or any other object that can conduct electricity.
Other lightning safety tips can be found on the National Weather Service website.
