Coast Guard Rescues 7 After Their Boat Was Struck By Lightning

A viral video shows the exact moment a boat was struck by lightning 100 miles off the coast of Florida.

According to WFLA, the Coast Guard rescued seven people after their 39-foot boat was hit off the coast of Clearwater, Florida on Saturday.

After getting an emergency alert, Coast Guard officials were able to get in touch with the boat's owner who told them their boat was struck by lightning.

Upon arrival, a helicopter crew was able to locate five women and two men—successfully airlifting all the vessel's occupants safely back to shore where their family was waiting for them at the Coast Guard Air Station.

Coast Guard police Lt. David McKinley says lightning storms are normal in Florida waters, but because the boaters were well prepared with "all the necessary safety equipment," they were able to be rescued quickly.

Lightning storms are routinely encountered in the Florida maritime environment and can pose a significant hazard to boaters. Fortunately, the boaters in this case were well prepared with all necessary safety equipment including an EPIRB, flares, and a marine VHF radio to ensure a quick and efficient rescue.

The boaters were participating in a fishing tournament before the lightning strike and are now reportedly looking for a way to recover their disabled vessel.

See the full story here via WFLA.

LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

https://www.wfla.com/news/hillsborough-county/video-coast-guard-save-7-after-lightning-hits-boat-off-clearwater/

Source: Coast Guard Rescues 7 After Their Boat Was Struck By Lightning—Scary Moment Captured on Video