Two hikers, 14 and 21, struck by lightning on Pyrenees trail, both in critical condition

What happened

On Monday 3 August, a group of about 15 hikers was caught in a sudden thunderstorm on the GR10 long-distance trail near Cauterets in the Hautes-Pyrénées. The storm broke around 15:30 at an altitude of 2,700 metres, on a section between the refuge des Oulettes de Gaube and the refuge de Bayssellance. Two members of the group, a 14-year-old boy and a 21-year-old man, were struck by lightning. The group was hiking without a guide. The department had been placed under a yellow thunderstorm warning earlier in the day.

“Around 3:30 p.m., a storm broke over the massif and we were called by a group of people who were hit head-on by this storm and for whom two people were struck by lightning.”

Injuries

The 14-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest and was found unconscious; rescuers performed emergency resuscitation. He was hit in the head, with the lightning entering at his ear and exiting through his foot, according to La Dépêche du Midi. The 21-year-old was struck in the thorax and sustained an external burn; the extent of any internal damage was not immediately known. Both victims were classified as in life-threatening condition (urgence absolue) and their prognosis was described as engaged.

Rescue operation

The Peloton de gendarmerie de haute montagne (PGHM) of Pierrefitte-Nestalas, a specialised mountain rescue unit, responded to the emergency call. Major Jean-Michel Rodé, the unit's deputy commander, said that a helicopter was able to reach the site during a short break in the weather. The helicopter landed near the victims, and the crew administered emergency care before airlifting them. They were then evacuated to hospitals in Tarbes and Pau.

Weather context

The storm was part of a larger weather system that produced a very high level of thunderstorm activity across France that day, with 30,000 lightning strikes detected, though not all touched the ground. Raymond Piccoli, director of the Laboratoire de recherche sur la foudre, stressed the extreme danger of being in an active storm or its periphery, with risks of lightning and violent winds. In France, about 100 people are struck by lightning each year, with a risk of one in a million.

“It is quite obvious that in the heart of an active storm or on the periphery of an active storm, it is extremely dangerous. One can be exposed, of course, to lightning but also to violent winds.”

Investigation

The Tarbes prosecutor's office opened an inquiry into the incident, which was assigned to the PGHM of Pierrefitte-Nestalas. The investigation will examine the circumstances of the lightning strike.