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A U.S. Coast Guard crew rescued seven boatmen after lightning struck and disabled their ship off the coast of Florida on Saturday, officials said.
The seven boatmen were involved in a fishing tournament when their 39-foot personal boat was caught in a storm about 100 miles off the coast of Clearwater, the U.S. Coast Guard said. One of the group members recorded a video of the storm with his mobile phone when lightning struck the boat.
“It just had the biggest flash like light bulbs right in your face,” Sherry Kelly, a passenger on the boat, told FOX13 Tampa.
Kelly’s brother, Glenn Rumer, described how the flash briefly knocked out their friend Josh, who used his cell phone to record video of the storm.
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“The lightning electricity actually went through him and made him disappear and fall to the floor,” Rumer told the station, adding that their friend “realized” immediately after the fall.
No casualties were reported after the lightning struck and disabled a boat with seven people on board 100 miles off the coast of Clearwater, Florida, the U.S. Coast Guard said. (US Coast Guard District 7)
While the Coast Guard said no one was seriously injured in the incident, the lightning strike damaged the boat’s engine, blocking the boatmen at sea. Kelly said the lightning strike also traveled up the support, which broke in half and caught fire.
Rumer was prepared for an emergency in the water and activated the ship’s emergency position radio beacon (EPIRB), which transmits a continuous radio signal so that rescuers can determine their location.
“Fortunately, the boatmen in this case were well prepared with all the necessary safety equipment, including EPIRB, flares and marine VHF radio, to provide a quick and effective rescue,” said Coast Guard pilot Lt. David McKinley.
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Clearwater Coast Guard Air Station deployed a summer crew of an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter to their location and lifted the five women and two men safely from the disabled boat. The crew returned them to the airline, where the family greeted them.
McKinley said thunderstorms are routine in Florida waters and can pose a danger to boatmen.
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