Two people who were hospitalized with critical injuries after a lightning strike near the White House on Thursday night have died from their injuries.
LIGHTNING STRIKES NEAR WHITE HOUSE; FOUR IN CRITICAL CONDITION
The two victims were identified as 76-year-old James Mueller and 75-year-old Donna Mueller from Janesville, Wisconsin, the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department confirmed to the Washington Examiner. Two other people who were injured in the strike remain in critical condition but have not been publicly identified.
“We are saddened by the tragic loss of life after the lightning strike in Lafayette Park,” the White House said in a statement. “Our hearts are with the families who lost loved ones, and we are praying for those still fighting for their lives.”
The four were struck in Lafayette Park just outside the White House grounds amid scattered rainstorms in Washington, D.C., on Thursday night. They were found just before 7 p.m. in the center of the park, roughly 100 feet from the statue of Andrew Jackson, according to fire department spokesman Vito Maggiolo.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Nearby Secret Service officials and Park Police officers quickly responded after the strike to render first aid, which fire officials credited as the reason the victims were able to survive initially.
