Four people have been knocked unconscious after hiding under a tree during a series of lightning strikes.
Sydney in Australia has seen about 75,000 lightning strikes across the city today, with the four people taken to hospital with burns after being struck in the Royal Botanic Gardens.
A spokesman for New South Wales Ambulance said the group were standing under a tree in the beauty spot when they were struck at about 12.45pm, with patients including a teenage boy, a woman in her 20s and a man and woman both in their 30s.
He said the four were “knocked unconscious” when struck but regained consciousness shortly after.
It is not clear whether their injuries are as a direct result of being struck or from being under the tree when it was hit.
The teenager and the woman in her 20s were taken to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital where they remain in a stable condition, while the older man and woman were taken to St Vincent’s hospital. The patients are being monitored for heart issues.
Lightning in the city has caused long delays for commuters, with Transport for NSW saying severe weather had affected train equipment at North Sydney with no trains running between the station and Gordon.
Passengers were told to avoid or delay trips on the T1 North Shore line, with replacement buses in service.
Those living in the eastern parts of Sydney have been urged to watch out for weather warnings amid severe thunderstorms and heavy rain forecasts, which could bring on flash flooding in low-lying areas.
Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast, the Hunter and on the mid-north coast have all been warned to expect severe weather by the NSW State Emergency Service (SES).
Heavy rain is expected to hit Taree, Newcastle, Penrith and Armidale.
NSW SES assistant commissioner Sean Kearns said the city could see rainfall of between 50mm and 100mm.
He said: “The NSW SES has prepositioned personnel throughout the region, and we are well-resourced to respond to any calls for assistance. I would encourage the public to follow the advice of emergency service personnel on the ground and not to drive through flood water.”
