Thirteen elementary school students and two teachers were rushed to the hospital after lightning struck a school sportsfield on Australia's east coast Tuesday.
The children, between the ages of 10 and 12, were playing on the field at their school in Queensland when the bolt struck nearby, a spokesperson for the local ambulance service told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The group was treated for numbness in their legs and "mild tingling," with one teacher complaining of chest pains, Greg Christensen told AFP.
"It is believed lightning came down between two trees on the oval where the kids were playing," he said.
The kids "were pretty wound up" after the incident, but there were no signs of physical injury, he added.
"It could have turned out very differently ... with burns and other injuries, but lucky we had none of that there today."
The group was taken to the hospital for observation.
Every day, there are 8.6 million lightning strikes worldwide – or 100 per second.
Victims of lightning strikes can experience cardiac arrest, and 10% of strikes lead to death. Around 70% of victims suffer long-term effects, with injuries ranging from severe burns and permanent brain damage to personality changes and memory loss.
