One dead after Mt Warning campers struck by lightning, rescue operation underway
Updated
An international tourist has died and a woman has been injured after being hit by lightning while camping at Mt Warning, on the NSW north coast, police say.
Key points:
- A man has died after being struck by lightning on Mt Warning this morning
- Rescuers are also treating a woman for head and neck injuries
- More storms are predicted in NSW today
The pair had been under a tree that was struck by lightning, instantly killing the man.
NSW Police Commander Wayne Starling said the man and woman are both in their in twenties and were victims of extraordinary circumstances.
"It's very, very unusual for something like this to happen," Commander Starling said.
"So I'm not judgemental of these people in any way whatsoever.
"The weather just had a traumatic effect."
Emergency services were called to the summit of the mountain about 4:50am today.
The woman was taken to Murwillumbah Hospital to be treated for head and neck injuries.
The authorities brought the man's body down the mountain, after a helicopter could not be used due to poor visibility.
Bushwalkers who climbed up the mountain before dawn this morning to watch the sunrise also assisted authorities.
Mt Warning towers about 1.1 kilometres above sea level and camping at the summit is prohibited.
Rhett Murray from the Murwillumbah rescue service said the operation would be a slow process.
"It's a two-and-a-half hour walk, then chains to the top so it's going to be a vertical rescue involving lowering people off the summit and then the walk back down again," he said.
Walk popular with tourists
The five-hour round trip walk is popular with tourists who regularly climb to watch the sunrise from the summit.
Last night the state's north was lashed by rolling storms and constant lightning.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said more storms could be headed for the region today.
Mr Murray described Mt Warning as known for its wild weather.
"The mountain is a draw point for bad weather so it's a bit precarious at the moment," he said.
"Obviously the storm has gotten bigger than what they [the campers] expected, more intense and they just happened to be on the highest peak in the area."
Wild night in NSW
Further south, strong winds, hail, lightning and thunder lashed the NSW Mid-North Coast overnight.
Wind gusts of around 80 kilometres per hour brought down trees which then damaged powerlines in other parts of the region.
There were widespread power outages.
Coffs Harbour SES acting controller Bill Roffe said it was a wild night.
"It was a bit rough, great light show, plenty of noise, very strong winds," he said.
"There was about 30-odd millimetres of rain."
Topics: weather, storm-event, emergency-incidents, murwillumbah-2484, nsw
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