Several children are fighting for their lives in hospital after 11 people were struck by lightning in Paris on Saturday.

The victims were sheltering under a tree in Parc Monceau, in the eighth arrondissement in north-west Paris, after a sudden storm struck. They had been attending a birthday party.

Eric Moulin, a Paris fire service spokesman, said an off-duty firefighter ran to the scene and saw eight children and three adults lying on the ground. He administered first aid and CPR and helped direct rescuers to the scene. “Without his actions, it would have been much worse,” Moulin said.

Four children and two adults were seriously injured, while four children and one adult were slightly hurt. The children were aged between seven and 14.

The victims suffered burns and were taken to Necker hospital, a specialist children’s hospital in south-west Paris.

Jean-Louis Laurens, who lives near the park, said the wild storm sent lightning bolts crashing into the park.

source:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/28/lightning-strikes-over-paris-leave-several-injured