One person was killed and six others were treated at a hospital Thursday after lightning struck a tree they were standing under, authorities in South Carolina said.
The incident happened at the Black River in the area of Lawshe Plantation in Andrews, which is in Georgetown County. NBC affiliate WIS reported that the lightning strike happened at a cookout, citing a homeowner who lives nearby.
A spokesperson for Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital said it received a total of seven patients from the lightning strike, including the person who died.
Four patients walked into the hospital and the other two who survived were transported by ambulance, and all are in fair condition, the spokesperson said.
The nearby homeowner told WIS that a group of people were boating in the Black River and stopped at Lawshe Plantation and were cooking out on the shore when the lightning strike occurred.
Dave Loewenthal, forecaster for the National Weather Service's Wilmington, North Carolina, office, which covers Georgetown County in South Carolina, said the lightning strike happened around 2:10 p.m.
He said over 1,000 lightning strikes were seen on radar over several counties at the time, but he was not aware of any other injuries.
There are currently no severe storm warnings for the area, but isolated lightning strikes are possible, Loewenthal said. In general, people should be cautious when there is the possibility of lightning, he said.
"If you can hear thunder, that generally means lightning's within 10 miles," Loewenthal said.
Andrews is a town of around 2,800 about 50 miles northeast of Charleston.
