Lightning strikes kill 3 soldiers battling mountain fires

Lightning strikes among soldiers and local residents fighting a forest fire have killed three and injured 25 in Anning, Yunnan province.

Forest fires broke out in the mountains near Kunming, Yunnan's capital, on May 24, and had nearly been quenched after three days. Soldiers remained behind to clear the burnt-out areas and ensure the fire had been extinguished, when they were suddenly caught in a severe storm.

The team was immediately ordered to evacuate, but 22 soldiers and six local government staff or residents were hit by lightning as they scrambled to leave the mountains bordering Anning and Lufeng at an altitude of over 2,120 meters, reported the Kunming-based Metropolis Times.

The three soldiers killed, He Jingguo, Yuan Yibo, and Zhang Dongliang, were all under 24. The other 25 people injured have been hospitalized, with five still in serious condition.

More than 100 soldiers were trying to evacuate from the top of the mountains when the storm came, a soldier told the Metropolis Times.

Meteorologists inspected the site after the incident, and concluded that people moving along the mountain ridges during the thunder storm were vulnerable to lightning strikes.

"I have never seen such horrible lightning," said Li, a local villager. "The lightning flashes hit the ground one after another so frequently."

Li said he found 15 of his 17 chickens had died when he came home from guarding against the forest fire at the foot of the mountains.

There are more than 200 thunderous days a year around Kunming area. The local weather bureau recorded 3,124 lightning strikes from 8 pm Tuesday to 8 am Wednesday.