British woman fights for life after being struck by lightning in front of daughter on beach

The 48-year-old woman is in critical condition in a hospital intensive care unit

A British woman is fighting for her life after she was struck by lightning on a Croatian beach.

The 48-year-old who has not been identified, and her daughter were sunbathing on Kasjuni beach near Split at around 3pm on Saturday when they had to run for their lives as a massive thunderstorm smoved in.

The mother was hit by a lightning bolt and was knocked unconscious as they tried to reach a nearby hotel, before her daughter’s screams alerted a medic who was dealing with a bike accident in a triathlon taking place nearby, it was reported.

The paramedic was able to revive the woman and she was rushed to Split’s KBC hospital where she is now in critical condition in the intensive care unit with a serious head injury and burns.

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An official from the Marjenski Dir trialthlon told MailOnline: “The woman was struck close to the beach and fortunately for her one of our oncall medics who was attending the event managed to revive her.

“He was close by dealing with a bike accident that had just taken place and when he heard the screams he rushed over to help the woman and he stabilised her until the ambulance arrived.

“Her life is in danger. An investigation will be conducted at the scene and all circumstances of this accident and being determined.”

To avoid injury during thunderstorms at the beach, the Met Office advises getting out of the water and finding a low-lying open place that is a safe distance from trees, poles or metal objects.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: “We are providing support to the family of a British national in Croatia and are in contact with the local authorities.”