British Woman Critical Of Being Struck By Lightning, Croatian Police Launch Investigation

Kasjuni Beach in Split, Croatia. (Wikimedia Commons/Zvone00)

JAKARTA - A woman is in critical condition after being struck by lightning on a Croatian beach last weekend.

The British tourist was with his daughter sheltering from a thunderstorm on Split's Kasjuni Beach when the horrific incident occurred on Saturday.

The woman, believed to be 48, was vacationing with her daughter on a popular beach when the thunderstorm hit.

The two were sunbathing on the beach and rushing for cover to a nearby hotel when they spotted a thunderstorm.

However, the mother was struck by lightning, when lightning 'attracted' the necklace she was wearing, the Daily Mail reports.

He reportedly fainted from a 300 million volt lightning strike, sustaining serious internal injuries.

Her daughter's cries for help, drew the attention of those around, with the woman then getting help from medics who were dealing with a bicycle accident at a triathlon event, which was nearby.

The woman was treated by the medic at the scene, before being taken to KBC Split hospital, where she is now battling for life in the intensive care unit.

"The woman was struck near the beach and fortunately one of our medics who attended the event managed to save her," an official from the Marjenski Dir triathlon told the Daily Mail.

The waitress at a nearby cafe recalled as the storm approached.

"One minute everyone was happily sunbathing on the beach, then the sky turned black as night and a huge thunderstorm hit overhead," said a waitress from a nearby bar named Joe's.

"Lightning is something I've never seen before, a very bright flash and you can hear it hissing."

"Everyone was rushing off the beach and then at one point there was a huge explosion and a flash of lightning at the same time, I looked outside and saw the woman on the floor and her daughter with her," he said.

Dr. Mileva Frankic, who treated the woman, told local TV: "Unfortunately, her life is still in jeopardy, apart from the real changes to the skin we expect."

The colleague Dr. Drannic added, there were also several organs affected by lightning strikes and from heart attacks.

"It's too early to talk about consequences and results," he said.

Separately, a spokeswoman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said they were providing support to the family, as well as being in touch with local authorities about the incident.

"An investigation will be carried out at the scene," local police said, citing The National News.