Several in Church youth group injured in lightning strike

SALINA, Sevier County — Lightning struck near a youth group from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, injuring multiple people in the party. According to the Sevier County Sheriff, none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening.

In a statement, the sheriff said the teens from the Church’s Salina Stake were hiking near Willow Springs Overlook in the eastern part of Sevier County. As the rain started, water puddled on the ground, and lightning struck “next to the youth.”

The sheriff said approximately 50 people felt the shock of the lightning, with at least seven experiencing medical concerns due to the electricity from the strike. Those seven were taken by ambulance, and two were met by medical helicopters.

Two of the injured were experiencing symptoms serious enough to be taken by air to Primary Children’s Hospital in Lehi.

“One victim couldn’t move their upper extremities, their arms, and the other had one side of their body going numb, and it continued to get worse,” the sheriff’s office said in an updated Facebook post.

The rest were taken to local hospitals, and all the teens were accounted for and taken to Salina, where they were met by parents with no other medical issues reported.

Severe weather was active over much of Utah, producing flash flood warnings, strong winds, heavy rain, and severe thunderstorm watches.