Four people were in critical condition Thursday night after they were apparently struck by lightning in a park just north of the White House, officials said.
Vito Maggiolo, a spokesman for the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, said that around 6:50 p.m., two men and two women were in Lafayette Square, across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, when lightning struck in their “immediate vicinity.”
Secret Service agents and United States Park Police officers were nearby and immediately helped render aid, Mr. Maggiolo said. The four were taken to nearby hospitals.
“The ability to immediately provide lifesaving care is critical to the outcome,” Mr. Maggiolo said.
The four were apparently standing near trees in the seven-acre park when the lightning struck, he said.
Source: The New York Times
