Photos: Athens news agency AMNA/Stefanos Rapanis
A lightning bolt struck the archaeological site of the Palace of Knossos in Crete this morning, injuring at least 19 Russian tourists.
One 46-year-old woman of all the 19 people who were immediately taken to hospital had a heart attack and she was hospitalized in Venizelio Hospital in a serious condition. According to initial information, the woman was pregnant but later the doctors denied this assertion.
9 of the other tourists were slightly injured whereas the rest were in shock and preventively taken to hospital. There were two small children among those injured, who are now well.
How the tourists were injured
As it was raining while the Russian tourists were touring round the archaeological site of Knossos, they hid under a tree holding umbrellas. Then the deafening lightning struck and some of the people fell down onto the ground, hurting themselves, whereas the electric discharge seemed to have slightly injured the rest.
A first aid team was immediately called and four ambulances took all 19 tourists to hospital.
After the incident, the archaeological site that has lightning conductors was closed and the police inspected it.