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Three dead after lightning strike near White House | |
(about 11 hours later) | |
The couple were celebrating their 56th wedding anniversary | |
An elderly couple from Wisconsin are among three dead after they were struck by lightning near the White House in Washington DC, police say. | |
James Mueller, 76, and Donna Mueller, 75, were visiting the US capital to celebrate their 56th wedding anniversary, their niece said. | |
On Friday, an unnamed 29-year-old man injured in the strike also died. A fourth person was critically injured. | |
The victims were in Lafayette Park in a storm on Thursday when they were hit. | |
The park's proximity to the seat of the US presidency meant members of the US Secret Service were among the first people to tend to the victims. | |
The Muellers are survived by five children, 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, a relative, Michelle McNett, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper. | |
The White House offered condolences to the families of those who died. "We are praying for those still fighting for their lives," said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. | |
The lightning struck the four people near a tree by the fence that surrounds the White House complex. | The lightning struck the four people near a tree by the fence that surrounds the White House complex. |
In the wake of the incident, part of the park remained closed with emergency services at the scene. | In the wake of the incident, part of the park remained closed with emergency services at the scene. |
The National Weather Service had issued a thunderstorm warning for the area on Thursday. | The National Weather Service had issued a thunderstorm warning for the area on Thursday. |
Lafayette Square is a seven-acre public park directly north of the White House. It is often crowded with visitors, especially during the summer. | Lafayette Square is a seven-acre public park directly north of the White House. It is often crowded with visitors, especially during the summer. |
According to US health data, about 40m lightning strikes hit the ground in the US each year, but the odds of someone being struck are less than one in a million, and almost 90% of all such victims survive. | |
Emergency services were called to the scene near the White House on Thursday |