15 injured after lightning strikes zoo in southern France
Fifteen people were injured on Wednesday afternoon after lightning struck the La Barben zoo, located near Salon-de-Provence in the Bouches-du-Rhône département, the local fire department announced
on social media
.
Some 46 firefighters responded to the incident.
In total, at least 13 of the injured people - including four children - were treated as "relative emergencies" (
urgence relative
),
BFMTV
reported.
The incident occurred around 2.50pm in a "flat, open area", a source from the fire department told French daily
Le Figaro
. The source also specified that one of the more seriously injured people was German.
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No animals were injured in the lightning strike, and the zoo infrastructure was also unaffected.
The area had been placed on France's yellow warning by national weather service, Météo France, for thunderstorms on Wednesday.
Lightning strikes may seem like a freak phenomenon, but they cause
10 to 20 deaths
each year in France. If you are caught in a thunderstorm, first try to seek shelter inside. If that is not available, avoid water and open spaces, and stay away from trees and tall objects.
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