Sisters killed after being hit by lightning strike during mountain hike
5 July 2021, 12:58
Two Norwegian sisters have died after being struck by lightning during a hike in the southern Norway mountains, authorities said.
The sisters, identified as Benedicte Myrset, 18, and 12-year-old Victoria Myrset from Oslo, were hit by lightning in the mountainous area of Hareid on Sunday.
A third person, a sister to the pair, was seriously injured and was taken to hospital.
They were on the Melshorn mountain, a popular destination, when the accident happened.
She was then transferred to a larger hospital in Bergen, Norway's second largest city, 191 miles northwest of Oslo.
In a statement, Hareid mayor Bernt Brandal called it "a deeply tragic event" that no one could have predicted because the weather "changed tremendously fast".
Norwegian broadcaster NRK said more than 800 lightning strikes were recorded in the area Sunday afternoon and early evening.
