Lightning Strikes Women Taking Selfie, Suffer Life Threatening Injuries

Two women suffered serious injuries after they were struck by lightning while taking selfies in western Germany, officials said Monday. Both women were found lying on the ground with their clothes torn.

The incident took place Sunday evening in Bochum city's Wattenscheid district. Paramedics arrived at the scene of the incident and rushed the women — 23 and 21 years old — to the hospital. One woman was said to be in intensive care with life-threatening injuries, according to Bochum police spokesman Volker Schuette, while the other was also being treated at the hospital.

One of the women told the police she only remembered walking with her friend on a footpath and recording each other with their smartphones.

Western Europe experienced heavy storms in recent days, with flash floods as high as 5.3 feet submerging roads and basements in parts of central Germany. Dozens of flights were canceled at airports across the country due to the storms.

Warnings were issued for areas including Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Cologne and Hanover, where there was possibility of multiple thunderstorms in the coming days, meteorologists said.

Firefighters in the state of Hesse rescued two women who were trapped in their car by a mudslide caused by the heavy rain.

The storm hit the Eifel mountain range in the west of the country as well as neighboring regions in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. Germany's meteorological service, the DWD, said the thunderstorm came from southern France, Luxembourg and Belgium.

Buildings, flooding cellars and streets were damaged due to the thunderstorm and flood.

Hail and heavy rain are “what typically constitutes thunderstorms in summer," said a meteorologist from the German Weather Service (DWD).

In Britain, an elderly man died after his car was submerged in water in Rushall, about 135 miles north of London. Britain’s Met Office weather service said some areas of the country received the equivalent of one month’s average rainfall in just one hour.