Tybee Island Lightning Strike Kills Teenage Tourist

Girl, 15, was visiting the area with her family
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 14, 2021 2:50 AM CDT
Teen Killed by Tybee Island Lightning Strike
The container ship CMA CGM Marco Polo sails up river past the historic Tybee Lighthouse on Tybee Island, Ga., to the Port of Savannah, Wednesday, May, 26, 2021. At 1,300 feet long and more than 175 feet wide, the Marco Polo is the largest vessel ever to serve the U.S. East Coast.   (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

A 15-year-old girl visiting Tybee Island, Ga., with her family from Alabama was killed Saturday by a lightning strike. The teen was swimming off the coast at the time, CNN reports. As NOAA explains, lightning usually strikes land, but when it hits the ocean, the water acts as a conductor. "Often swimmers and beach goers are enjoying the moment and when storms appear suddenly, the unthinkable can occur," the island's mayor says. Lifeguards and firefighters attempted CPR, but the girl was declared dead at a hospital, WJCL reports. (More Georgia stories.)

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