Teacher struck by lightning on Bucegi trail with 14 students, suffers burns on 30% of body; severe storms hit 18 counties
A female teacher was struck by lightning while leading 14 students on a mountain trail in Romania's Bucegi Mountains on July 2. She suffered first- and second-degree burns on 30% of her body but was rescued conscious, while one child was also hospitalised with a leg injury.
The incident
On July 2, a female teacher was leading 14 students on a hike along the tourist trail between Vârful Omu and Peștera Ialomiței in Romania's Bucegi Mountains when a powerful storm struck. Near Stâna Șugări, the teacher was hit by lightning, losing consciousness and becoming unable to move. The children managed to reach the shepherd's hut and alert the shepherd, who immediately called the Salvamont dispatch.
Rescue operation
A team from the Dâmbovița Public Mountain Rescue Service (Salvamont Salvaspeo Dâmbovița) rushed to the scene. After providing first aid and stabilising the victim, rescuers carried her on a stretcher over difficult terrain to the Salvamont base at Peștera. From there, she was handed over to SMURD and county ambulance crews, who continued medical care and transported her to hospital. The teacher was conscious upon handover, with first- and second-degree burns on her face and limbs covering approximately 30% of her body surface. One child also required hospital treatment for a lower limb injury. Following the evacuation, the rescue team returned to recover the 14 children, leading them safely to their waiting coach, which took them to their guesthouse in Bușteni. The Salvamont service expressed gratitude to the shepherd for his civic spirit and to the SMURD and ambulance crews for their collaboration.
Widespread storm damage
The lightning strike was part of a broader severe weather event that swept across Romania on July 2. According to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU), storms affected 18 counties between 08:00 and 20:00, including Argeș, Brașov, Constanța, Dâmbovița, and Maramureș. Firefighters pumped water from five homes, 25 courtyards, 31 cellars, and several public buildings. They also removed fallen trees and a collapsed electricity pole, and cleared debris from eight roofs. Five cars were damaged. In Maramureș, two separate lightning strikes caused fires: one destroyed about 60 square metres of a house roof in Leordina, and another burned 80 square metres of an animal shelter in Rogoz. No casualties were reported in those incidents. In Bucharest and Ilfov, crews continued to deal with the aftermath of earlier storms, pumping water from dozens of cellars and removing fallen trees.
Safety warnings
Mountain rescue services reiterated the importance of checking weather forecasts before any outdoor activity.
Authorities also advised hikers to adopt a safety position (crouching with minimal ground contact) if caught in a storm, and to call 112 in an emergency. The shepherd at Stâna Șugări was thanked for his prompt civic action.In the event of lightning, tourists must leave exposed areas, avoid ridges, peaks, and isolated metal objects.
