Tragedy in Greece: Lightning kills 13‑year-old girl on Chalcidice beach

Tragedy strikes on the Chalcidice Peninsula in Greece as a 13-year-old girl was struck by lightning, according to Greek Reporter. The family had come out of the sea to take shelter from an approaching storm. "The lightning struck directly in front of us," said the girl's father.

The incident occurred on Friday on the beach in Posidi. According to media reports, the girl was walking along the beach with her mother when, around 9 AM, she was struck by lightning. It had been raining heavily in the region since the morning.

"We were on the beach with the whole family. We came out of the sea when it was drizzling. The lightning struck directly in front of us," the girl's father told the media. He added that the family had come out of the sea to take shelter from the approaching storm. "My wife was walking in front, and our daughter was behind her. Both fell onto the sand. We came out of the sea. The lightning struck, and my child never got up again," he added.

The 13-year-old was taken to a health center, but her life could not be saved. The family is from the nearby town of Nea Moudania.

Deaths from lightning strikes are rare in Greece. One should be particularly cautious during storms.

According to scientists from the University of Patras, from 2010-2019, 23 people in Greece died due to lightning strikes. In 2020, a woman was killed while working on a farm during a storm, and in 2023, a 26-year-old Briton was fatally struck by lightning while swimming off the coast of Rhodes.