Lightning strike near White House kills two persons
Published: 05:08 PM,Aug 05,2022 | EDITED : 09:08 PM,Aug 05,2022
(FILES) In this file photo taken on March 30, 2018 a view of the White House from Lafayette Square in Washington, DC. A man and woman in their late seventies were pronounced dead, and two others remained in critical condition August 5, 2022, after being struck by lightning in a park near the White House as a severe storm swept through the US capital. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)
WASHINGTON: A man and woman in their late seventies were pronounced dead, and two others remained in critical condition on Friday, after being struck by lightning in a park near the White House as a severe storm swept through the US capital.
The lightning hit Lafayette Square, a small park across the street from the White House, shortly before 7:00 pm (2300 GMT) on Thursday, leaving two men and two women with "critical life-threatening injuries," according to a statement from Washington's fire and emergencies department.
All the victims were taken to local hospitals, but on Friday morning the Metropolitan Police confirmed that two of them -- 75-year-old Donna Mueller and 76-year-old James Mueller, both from Janesville in Wisconsin -- had been pronounced dead.
The other two adults remain in critical condition, police said.
A White House spokeswoman said the Biden administration was "saddened by the tragic loss of life."
"We are praying for those still fighting for their lives," added Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in a statement.
The lightning hit Lafayette Square, a small park across the street from the White House, shortly before 7:00 pm (2300 GMT) on Thursday, leaving two men and two women with "critical life-threatening injuries," according to a statement from Washington's fire and emergencies department.
All the victims were taken to local hospitals, but on Friday morning the Metropolitan Police confirmed that two of them -- 75-year-old Donna Mueller and 76-year-old James Mueller, both from Janesville in Wisconsin -- had been pronounced dead.
The other two adults remain in critical condition, police said.
A White House spokeswoman said the Biden administration was "saddened by the tragic loss of life."
"We are praying for those still fighting for their lives," added Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in a statement.