A 45-year-old man from Sri Lanka was struck by lightning outside a chapel near Kato Drys on Saturday afternoon, after arriving at the site with an elderly man to visit the church.
The man reportedly lost consciousness and was taken to Larnaca General Hospital. His condition was later described as good by doctors.
The incident was confirmed by the State Health Services Organisation (OKYPY). Its spokesman Charalambos Charilaou said the man who was struck by lightning had been taken to the Larnaca A&E department.
“The person is being assessed by doctors and is undergoing various tests. His condition, according to the treating doctors, is good,” Charilaou said.
Larnaca Police were informed about the incident. Speaking to CNA, Larnaca assistant police director Giorgos Foukaris said the lightning struck a nearby point from the vehicle, causing the 45-year-old to suffer minor burns to his shoulder.
Kato Drys community leader Nikos Vasileiou told philenews that three people were at risk after they had just got out of a vehicle to visit the chapel of Timios Prodromos, located just outside the community.
The vehicle was carrying an elderly Greek Cypriot man and two of his employees, a man and a woman.
“The lightning struck a young man. My son and I brought him around, put him in the car and took him to the village, and an ambulance came and took him,” Vasileiou said.
He added that “the woman was also lightly struck” by the lightning.
Vasileiou urged the public to remain indoors until the bad weather passes, saying that the area has been experiencing extremely severe weather conditions at times.
