A Walk on the Beach, a Sudden Storm: German Tourist Killed by Lightning on Rhodes
The 58-year-old woman had just finished swimming when the strike hit. Her husband survived with minor injuries. Greek authorities are warning of more severe weather across the Aegean.
A holiday on the Greek island of Rhodes ended in tragedy on Friday afternoon when a 58-year-old German tourist was struck and killed by lightning while walking along the beach with her husband.
The incident occurred around 2:45 p.m. local time in the Lothiarika area, near the resort village of Lardos in southern Rhodes. According to local media reports cited by Greek police, the couple had been swimming in the sea shortly before the strike. As they walked along the sandy ground near the shoreline, lightning hit the woman. She lost consciousness immediately and was already without a pulse when emergency responders arrived. Resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful.
The couple was transported to the Archangelos Health Center, where doctors confirmed the woman's death. Her 62-year-old husband sustained minor injuries from the strike and received medical treatment.
The tragedy unfolded as a severe autumn storm battered the Aegean for a second consecutive day. Greece's Civil Protection Ministry issued a fresh severe-weather warning on Friday covering the southern Aegean, with heavy rain and thunderstorms forecast across the Dodecanese island group, including Rhodes, from midday Saturday through midday Sunday.
Authorities are investigating the precise circumstances of the incident. The Civil Protection Ministry has urged residents and visitors to avoid outdoor activities along the coast during severe weather, specifically identifying lightning as a danger in coastal and marine areas. Visitors caught in thunderstorms are advised to leave the sea immediately and move away from bodies of water.
For now, a couple's holiday has ended in the worst possible way. A woman is dead, her husband is injured, and the Aegean storm continues to roll across the islands. The warning is clear: when the sky turns dark over the Greek islands, the beach is not the place to be.
Written by Sandy van Dongen sandy.vandongen@alpineweekly.com