Three Sisters: Four hikers are struck by lightning in the Blue Mountains after grabbing onto a steel railing during a storm
Four people have been struck by lightning while visiting a popular scenic spot in the NSW Blue Mountains.
Walkers on the Three Sisters Walking Track held on to a steel railing as a heavy storm hit.
Paramedics treated a man and three women, all in their 20s.
The Blue Mountains City Council said in a statement on Wednesday that two of the four were taken to Katoomba Hospital by ambulance.
Walkers on the Three Sisters Walking Track held on to a steel railing as a heavy storm hit
Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill praised staff at the Echo Point Visitor Information Center for their “quick thinking” after they immediately called emergency services and assisted with first aid.
“Our thoughts are with the two people who were struck by lightning during this time and their families,” he said.
‘As previous large rainfall events have caused landslides and tree falls, we are asking residents and visitors to exercise extreme caution outdoors, in parks and nature reserves.’
Severe thunderstorms lashed the Blue Mountains near the Jamison Valley and Katoomba on Wednesday afternoon.
The wild weather will continue across large parts of the south-east and southern NSW, including the Blue Mountains, until Thursday, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
Heavy rain, large hail and damaging winds are forecast.
Australia’s east coast continues to experience severe storms, with thunderstorms moving through central Victoria on Wednesday before moving east.