Lightning strikes five students in western Japan and leaves one unconscious, reports say

In a shocking incident in western Japan, a lightning strike at a school playground left five students injured, with one of them remaining unconscious, as reported by local media.

The incident occurred while junior high school students were engaged in a soccer practice session at a school in Nara, leading to the five injured students being promptly transported to a nearby hospital for medical attention.

According to NHK public television, a 14-year-old boy was rendered unconscious by the lightning strike, while the other four students experienced symptoms such as numbness in their limbs or difficulty in speaking coherently.

The team supervisor mentioned to the authorities that the lightning struck following a sudden downpour, with a thunderstorm warning already in place for the prefecture at that time.

Both the police and fire department have initiated investigations into the incident to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the lightning strike at the school playground.