ARCHIVED - Man killed by lightning in Fuente Álamo as storms sweep across Murcia
The 45-year-old was picking spinach in Balsapintada when lightning struck
The heavy rain and thunderstorms which affected much of southern Murcia on Thursday claimed one life in the municipality of Fuente Álamo, where a 45-year-old man died when he was struck by lightning while working on crop fields, reportedly picking spinach, in the rural district of Balsapintada.
The incident was reported to the 112 emergency services line at 13.46, and although an ambulance was sent to the scene immediately medics were able to do nothing other than certify the victim’s death.
It was in this area that the heaviest of the rain in the Region of Murcia fell on Thursday, with approximately 20 millimetres reported by Aemet at the weather stations in Cartagena, Fuente Álamo and Torre Pacheco.
Aemet reported 68 lightning strikes in the region during the storms (see below).