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Two teenagers still seriously injured after Stockholm lightning strike

Two people remain in serious but stable condition after lightning struck during youth football practice on Lidingö island, just outside Stockholm, injuring several players.

Published: 30 August 2024 06:58 CEST
Updated: 30 August 2024 14:08 CEST

an ambulance at the scene of the football pitch in Lidingö

Three people were described as seriously injured in the lightning strike. Photo: Pontus Lundahl/TT

“Two patients have very serious injuries but are in stable condition,” Karin Pukk Härenstam, chief physician at Astrid Lindgren’s Children’s Hospital, told Swedish news agency TT.

“One patient is less seriously injured and is expected to be able to leave hospital today.”

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How common are lightning strikes in Sweden?

Several players from football club IFK Lidingö’s boys’ team were injured when lightning struck the football pitch.

Eight were taken to hospital.

“We’re not doing so well. We’ve had a meeting and we had long meetings with Lidingö City Council and crisis management,” club president Markus Karlsson told Aftonbladet.

He went to the site as soon as he found out and said everyone involved was in shock.

“Our focus now is completely on supporting those affected,” he told the newspaper.

The father of one of the injured boys told broadcaster TV4 that it didn’t look like it was going to turn into a thunderstorm when the group sought shelter from the torrential rain under a tree.

“Then out of nowhere they’re hit by lightning,” he said.

He said that his son was initially not able to feel his legs afterwards, but that he was feeling better now and should be able to return home after a few final check-ups in hospital.

IFK Lidingö cancelled all youth activities on Friday.

Lidingö City Council said it would continue to provide crisis support over the weekend.

“There’s crisis support in various places on the island where worried and affected people can turn,” communications director Kristina Hagbard told TT.

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How common are lightning strikes in Sweden?

According to Sweden’s state meteorologists SMHI, thunder and lightning strikes occur on between 5 and 20 days per year. Now, that might not sound like a lot, but on days where lightning does occur, there can be thousands of strikes across the country. To put Sweden’s number of strikes into perspective, the area around the Amazon rainforest has around 250 lightning days per year.

The lightning strike in Lidingö, close to Stockholm, which hit a group of people at a youth football training session was one of a total 7,072 lightning strikes which occurred on August 29th. Sweden’s northwestern mountain ranges see the fewest strikes, while the west coast sees the most.

Not all lightning strikes reach the ground, and many strike between clouds, so they don’t represent a danger to the population. SMHI’s lightning registration systems record around 150,000 ground strikes per year.

SMHI meterologist Per Stenborg speaking to SVT news in 2018 estimated the total number of people hit by lightning as between five and ten each year, with around 20 percent of those being fatal.

“That’s around one or two people a year,” he said at the time.

What should you do in the event of a thunderstorm?

Although the likelihood of getting struck by lightning is low, it can be a good idea to be aware of the best course of action if you do find yourself outside during a thunderstorm.

Emergency information website krisinformation.se recommends that you stay indoors and unplug power cords from wall outlets, especially if your building has no built-in lightning protection, like a lightning rod or similar.

Concrete buildings are particularly safe to be in, as the reinforcing bars used inside the walls are made of metal, and are extremely effective at leading electricity down to the ground.

If you are outside during a thunderstorm, bear in mind that lightning will strike the highest point it can find, so you should avoid standing in open fields or standing near large trees.

It’s also especially dangerous to be on or in the water, as not only are you likely to be the highest point around, but water also conducts electricity, so you risk being shocked even if you aren’t particularly close to the site of the strike.

If there are no buildings close by, you’re generally safer in a car or motorhome than out in the open, although tents can be dangerous. Make sure you don’t touch the radio or other metal parts of the car during the storm.

Avoid carrying long metal objects, like umbrellas, golf clubs or canes, as these could act as a lightning rod.

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