Tourists struck by lightning on popular Blue Mountains walking trail during electrical storm
Two tourists have been hospitalised after being struck by lightning at a popular lookout in the Blue Mountains.
Key points:
- Two tourists are in hospital after being struck by lightning
- An electrical storm hit the Blue Mountains on Wednesday
- The storm caused damage to infrastructure in the region
A NSW Ambulance spokesman said three women and a man, all in their 20s, were holding a metal railing on a walking track on Echo Point Road about 3:15pm yesterday, when a storm hit the region and a bolt of lightning hit them.
One of the women fell and sustained a head injury.
They all managed to walk to the lookout near the Three Sisters, where visitor information centre staff assisted them and an ambulance was called.
All four visitors were taken to hospital and two of the women were admitted.
"So these are tourists who have come to see the beautiful view and the day didn't end well for them," Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill told ABC Radio Sydney.
"Our thoughts are with the two people who were taken to Katoomba hospital."
Mr Greenhill said those in hospital were not currently in a critical condition this morning.
Staff at the visitor information centre brought the tourists indoors following the strike.
'The ferocity was something to behold'
Mr Greenhill said the storm event came "almost without warning" and caused damage to buildings and council infrastructure.
"It just came in incredibly quickly and the ferocity was something to behold. It seems Katoomba caught the brunt of it.
"We've been storm ravaged for a few years now following Black Summer fires, we've just had rolling natural disasters particularly during the two La Niña summers."
Mr Greenhill said the information centre building at the Katoomba lookout was also damaged.
"There's water coming in through that, so the damage to our infrastructure is significant," he said.
The lookout has since reopened. A severe thunderstorm warning the Bureau of Meteorology issued for heavy rainfall at midday over the Central Tablelands, including Katoomba, was cancelled in the evening.