Lightning and storms: two deaths on Mount Etna and in South Tyrol, injuries in Cortina and a tragedy in Panama
Over the weekend, violent storms caused deaths and injuries amongst hikers and residents, with rescue operations taking place in Italia and Central America.
Key points
A 30-year-old American tourist has died after being struck by lightning on Mount Etna. The alarm was raised yesterday evening 16 August, shortly before 8 pm, prompting the deployment of the Drago 142 helicopter from the Fire Brigade. The young tourist was on Mount Etna, apparently in a restricted area, when he was caught in a violent thunderstorm. It was there that he was struck by lightning, causing a powerful electrical discharge. He was rescued whilst already in a serious condition and rushed to Cannizzaro Hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Hiker struck by lightning whilst descending, dies in South Tyrol
A tragic rescue operation took place late in the evening of Sunday 16 August on Piz Starlex, on the border between Switzerland and South Tyrol. A local man was found dead after he had been reported missing: according to the rescue team’s account, the man is believed to have been struck by lightning during his descent.
The last telephone contact with the man had taken place at around 1.00 pm, directly from the summit of Piz Starlex. At that time, a storm was approaching. When darkness fell and the man had still not returned, a search was launched shortly after 10.00 pm via the Provincial Emergency Centre.
At 23.44, rescue workers located the man in the area of trail no. 4, at an altitude of approximately 2,600 metres, in rough terrain, thanks to the use of a drone. There was nothing more that could be done for him. The body was recovered by the rescue team and transported down to the valley. Around 40 people were involved in the operation, including members of the mountain rescue service, the Finance Police and volunteer firefighters.
Polish mountaineers struck by lightning in the Belluno area; two injured
Two rope teams of Polish climbers found themselves in difficulty due to bad weather on Ra Gusela in the Belluno area, again on Sunday, with one team struck by lightning whilst on the rock face. At around 4.20 pm, the Suem (Emergency Medical Service) control centre was contacted by the two rope teams: one consisting of two people who were at the summit of Ra Gusela and unable to move, the other stranded on the rock face on the final pitch of the ‘Via Mamma e papà’ route, with a man and, most importantly, a woman, injured following a lightning strike.
