Rowing team member missing after Florida lightning strike
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Divers searched through the night for a student missing after a rowing team’s boat capsized in an Orlando lake following a nearby lightning strike, officials said.
Medics took one child to a hospital and three others who were on the boat were sent home with their parents following the incident on Lake Fairview on Thursday evening, Orlando Fire Department Executive Deputy Chief Ian Davis said during a news conference.
“The rowing club was on the lake practicing,” Davis said. “There was lightning strike in the area. We’re unsure if it actually hit the vessel or was just in the area. The boat was capsized.”
Davis said divers and officials from multiple agencies were searching a wide area for the missing child. He did not give the age of the child or what school the team members attend.
Orlando television station WESH reported that the team was practicing at the North Orlando Rowing facility. Its online calendar said middle school and JV/Varsity teams were scheduled to practice between 3:50 and 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
“We are going to use every diver that we have to see if we can locate the missing child,” Davis said.
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