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Lightning strikes kill a girl
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LIGHTNING struck a tree at a popular lakeside picnic area, killing a 17-year-old girl and wounding a score of people on the outskirts of Milan on Sunday.
During a brief but particularly violent thunderstorm at lunchtime, a bolt of lightning hit the tree, ripping apart the tree and sending pieces of bark and branches flying across the``Idroscalo'' recreation area.
The area, an artificial lake near Linate airport, draws Sunday crowds of sunbathers, swimmers and picnickers with its artificialsandy shore.
Some of the injured suffered burns from the lightning or were knocked unconscious while others were hit by pieces of the tree.
``It began raining hard and suddenly, and people didn't have time to look for other shelter except for the trees,'' said Angelo Sassatelli, an officer assigned to the police diving team which isbased at the lake. ``When I arrived I saw rescuers trying to revivemany people knocked down to the ground.''
The dead teenager was described as being of Turkish origin and was attending a barbecue run by a non-profit humanitarian group. (SD-Agencies)
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