Lightning hits fishing boat, stranding 7 people far away from the coast of Florida
A bolt of lightning hit a 12 m (39 feet) long fishing boat about 160 km (100 miles) off the coast of Clearwater, Florida on June 25, 2022, disabling it and leaving its crew of 7 people stranded in the middle of stormy weather. The group was participating in a fishing tournament.
The lightning struck the vessel while people were posing for the video, leading one of them to describe the event as ‘out of body experience.’
“The outrigger that actually got struck exploded into splinters and was on fire when it landed,” co-captain Glenn Rumer said. “The motors, the electrical, everything went out. We were completely dead in the water.”1
While no one was injured, one passenger said he felt the lightning bolt pass through him, briefly knocking him unconscious.
“It took me around 5 minutes or so I’d say to come back to understanding what was going on,” he said.
While Rumer sent out a distress signal using the boat’s radio beacon, his sister, Sherrie Kelley, helped guide the other five passengers, including one pregnant woman, down below deck.
The crew waited more than 2 hours before the Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter airlifted them to safety.
References:
1 7 rescued after boat struck by lightning off Florida coast – AccuWeather – June 27, 2022
Featured image credit: Josh Guy (stillshot)
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