FAMILY NARROWLY AVOIDS BEING STRUCK BY LIGHTENING AS THEY DRANK TEA
This is the breathtaking moment a family was almost struck by lightning outside their home in the northeastern Argentinian city of Resistencia.
Surveillance footage shows four adults and two children sitting at a table and indulging themselves in maté tea when a bolt of lightning landed several feet away from them on Wednesday night.
The impact of the lightning then releases a loud thunder crack that startles the family except for an elderly woman who remains seated.
Lightning strikes again seconds later, sending everyone running into the home while a man helps the woman out of the chair.
A child can be heard in the background mentioning that her cell phone is on the table before lightning lands close to the home again.
One of the bolts fractured a tree in half and caused additional damage to property nearby, according to El Alcasti digital news outlet.
No injuries were reported.
According to the National Lightning Safety Council, 13 people were killed by lightning strikes in the United States in 2023.
It was the second-lowest total since 2021 when 11 deaths were registered.
At least two-thirds of the deaths involved people who were participating in outdoor events, including fishing, boating and camping activities, according to lightningsafetycouncil.org.
Florida had the most deaths with four followed by Texas, where two people were killed.
A total of 242 million lightning flashes were registered in the United States in 2023, according to Vaisala Xweather.
Texas topped the list with more than 42 million lightning flashes.
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