A 15-year-old boy was struck by lightning while outdoors during severe thunderstorms in central Abruzzo on Wednesday afternoon. The incident occurred in the Coppo area of Crognaleto (Teramo province). The teenager was with his father, who immediately alerted emergency services.
Rescuers airlifted the youth via helicopter in code red condition to L’Aquila’s San Salvatore Hospital. He remains in intensive care with life-threatening injuries; medical staff have withheld his prognosis. Police also responded to the scene.
The lightning strike hit near Monte di Mezzo, close to Lake Campotosto. Rescue operations, conducted by an Abruzzo Alpine and Speological Rescue technician aboard the L’Aquila rescue helicopter, were severely hampered by adverse weather, including intense hail. The teen was stabilized onsite before transfer to the regional hospital.
In separate incidents during the same severe weather, Alpine Rescue also aided a woman with a leg injury at Campo Felice and two climbers stranded on Gran Sasso mountain.
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