A 15-year-old went into cardiac arrest after being hit by lightning on Monday night at a campsite in central France.

 

Currently in a “very worrying state” according to the French press, the youth – who was transferred to a hospital in Tours – also suffered burns from the incident.

 

Seven other teenagers were also injured by the bolt which hit the campsite in the French department of Vienne . 

 

According to the authorities, the lightning “struck suddenly” the campsite belonging to an outdoor recreational centre, 60km to the southeast of Poitiers, at around 7pm. 

 

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Two of the teens were taken to hospital in Poitiers, while five others were suffering from “tinnitus and buzzing in the ears”. 

 

All eight teens were part of a group of 16 who had travelled from Descartes in central France to the campsite to practice different kinds of sports. 

 

“The parents of the victims have been informed and will be welcomed by the medical team at Poitiers,” local authorities said. 

 

An emergency medical team to provide counselling is also on hand. 

 

Thirteen departments located in the central Pyrenees and Auvergne areas of France were placed on orange alert for storms – the second highest level of warning, meaning the public is advised to be “very vigilant” – on Monday night until Tuesday morning. 

 

However Vienne was not one of the departments placed on alert. 

 

This isn't the first time an incident of this kind has occurred in France. In May 2016, The Local reported that ten children were hit by lightning in a Paris park.