Lighting struck an army base in Richmond County on Wednesday night and many soldiers were injured by the blast. According to WSB-TV, one soldier died and 9 others were injured at Fort Gordon as a storm rolled through the area.
“It is with a heavy heart Fort Gordon confirms one of the Soldiers injured in the lightning strike this afternoon succumbed to their injuries. No name will be released until the next of kin have been notified,” WSB-TV noted army base spokesperson Anne Bowman mentioning in a statement.
The storm rolled through around 11:00 a.m when the soldiers were training on the range. There was already lightning striking when the soldiers ventured out to Training Area 26. Despite the weather conditions at the time, the soldiers remained outside and kept training. After the lightning struck, the ten soldiers were taken to a local hospital and were assessed for injuries. One soldier who was directly struck by the lightning passed away on the scene. The others were not directly struck by the lightning, however; they were close enough to be impacted by the strike.
Information has not been released regarding the current condition of the soldiers who were injured by the strike.