Update: A man is confirmed dead after two people were struck by lightning on the top of Mt Warning (Wollumbin), near Murwillumbah, this morning.
Emergency services were alerted about 4.50am today (Tuesday December 6), that at least two people had been injured by lightning.
It’s believed a man and woman camped on the summit overnight; rescuers on the summit have confirmed the man has died and a woman is being treated for neck and head injuries The ages and nationality of the couple is yet to be confirmed.
The rescue operation is being co-ordinated by police from Tweed/Byron Local Area Command and will involve volunteers from the Volunteer Rescue Association and State Emergency Service, as well as NSW Ambulance Paramedics.
Original report: A rescue operation is underway after lightning struck a group of people on the top of Mt Warning, near Murwillumbah (Wollumbin), this morning.
Emergency services were alerted about 4.50am today (Tuesday December 6), that at least two people had been injured by lightning.
It’s believed three or four people may have camped on the summit overnight, but the sexes, age and nationality of those involved is yet to be confirmed.
A rescue operation is being co-ordinated by police from Tweed/Byron Local Area Command and will involve volunteers from the Volunteer Rescue Association and State Emergency Service, as well as NSW Ambulance Paramedics.
Blessings upon all those affected by this!
They should not have been up there in the first place.
Mmmm … One could go to town with the messages tied up in this one, what with the furore over people climbing Uluru. ‘Cloudcatcher’ was given that name for a reason. I would like to know what our indigenous brothers and sisters feel about this ?
Precisely……..did they bother asking?
They absolutely shouldn’t have been there! In the good old days when only locals bothered to climb the mountain no-one went in summer -too hot, slippery and dangerous . Of course the track was quite rudimentary. Local wisdom was to climb early on a winters morning and descend in time to have a breakfast cook up at Breakfast Creek.which involved quite a long trek from the end of the road. I went several times when at High School and we went as a class and invited a favourite teacher to accompany us.
The dear old mountain wasn’t pounded as it is now and didn’t have idiots perching on the top of it at night. I think Wollumbin has said “Enough is enough”
This is not a time to sprout words of righteousness regarding this tragedy. When someone dies through a non malevolent action it’s a time of great sadness for their friends and loved ones. Recriminations from some lofty observer is totally a detached and heartless response.
All those non-Indigenous people taking the offensive opportunity to say this incident occurred as a result of disrespecting Indigenous people and culture – maybe you would like to explain why you are hanging round on this continent?