Six people, including five schoolchildren from Bratislava, were hospitalized after a lightning strike hit a children’s camp during a school excursion in the Czech Republic amid severe thunderstorms.
According to Slovak news agency TASR, citing Czech outlet Novinky.cz, a middle-aged man briefly lost consciousness following the incident, prompting authorities to dispatch an emergency medical helicopter to the scene.
Five medical teams participated in the rescue operation. The man was airlifted to the emergency department in České Budějovice, while the five children were transported for treatment to a hospital in Jindřichův Hradec.
The incident occurred as powerful storms swept across large parts of the Czech Republic. Severe thunderstorms were reported in the South Moravian region, while hailstones measuring up to five centimeters in diameter fell near the town of Blansko.
Firefighters were also deployed to deal with the aftermath of the storms, clearing fallen trees from roads and pumping water from flooded buildings.
Authorities have not released further details about the condition of those injured, while emergency services remain on alert as severe weather continues to affect parts of the country.