This archive report was first published on 22 August 2019.
On August 22, 2019, a devastating lightning strike occurred in the Polish and Slovak mountains, claiming the lives of at least five people.
According to rescuers, the majority of the victims were on the Polish side, where lightning struck a large metal cross on top of Mount Giewont and a metal chain near the summit.
One person died in Slovakia, while over 100 people were injured in the incident.
Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki arrived in the nearby mountain resort town of Zakopane and expressed his concern over the incident.
Rescuers believe that many hikers were nearby when lightning struck the cross on Giewont's summit, and that the current continued along the chains securing the ascent, striking everyone along the way.
