A walker seriously injured in a mountaintop lightning strike which killed two others is showing signs of improvement, the police have said. A major rescue operation was performed on Sunday following two strikes which hit the Brecon Beacons, South Wales. Two men died, while two others were taken to hospital.
A police spokeswoman said, “A man in a serious condition in hospital, following simultaneous (同时发生的) incidents in the Brecon Beacons, has now improved and he is recovering. Officers are continuing to get in touch with the next of relatives of the dead men and enquiries are ongoing. All men were believed to be from England.”
Mark Jones, of the Brecon Mountain Rescue Team, described the lightning strike as a freak accident, and something he had not been called out to in 30 years of service.
The walking group Ramblers Cymru said that while incidents involving thunder and lightning were rare, electrical storms should be taken seriously by walkers.
The organisation's delivery officer, Elly Hannigan Popp, said, "We'd advise everyone to check the weather forecast before starting a walk. If you hear thunder, see lightning or if your hair stands on end, postpone activities even if the sky looks blue and clear. Lightning will strike as far as 10 miles away from any rainfall. Lightning can strike the same place repeatedly — especially tall, pointed, isolated objects."
"If there is no shelter you should keep moving. And if you become the tallest object, crouch (蹲) in the open twice as far away from the nearest pointed object as it is tall. Make yourself as small as possible, stay on your toes and keep your heels together, as it will allow electricity to go up one foot, through the heels and back into the ground through the other."
