A runner was killed and another seriously injured on Sunday when they were struck by lightning during a nighttime trail race on a Greek mountain, local police said.
The two men were competing in the Six Peaks race, held on Mount Falakro in northern Greece, when lightning struck the group of runners. The incident happened at 4 a.m. at an altitude of 1,340 meters (4,400 feet).
Two rescue teams from the fire department climbed the mountain from the nearby town of Drama and found a runner, 55, already dead and another, 56, seriously injured. The injured runner was flown to the hospital, where authorities said he was in serious condition. Neither man has been identified.
The 22.2-mile race had started at 7pm on Saturday in the village of Pyrgoi and was set to take place over the six highest peaks of Falakro in Greece, all of which are more than 6,500 feet. The mountain extends to Bulgaria.
The weather was good when the race started, but heavy rain set in during the night and the track became muddy. When lightning struck, several of the 55 participating runners had reached the finish line. The runners had 12 hours to complete the race.
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