Three Hikers Killed by Lightning Strike in Austrian Alps

Three hikers, including two brothers and the wife of one of the men, were fatally struck by lightning during a thunderstorm in Austria’s Tyrolean Alps over the weekend, authorities confirmed on Monday.

According to a spokesperson for the Alpine police in Landeck, a town in western Austria, the victims — a couple both aged 60 and the 62-year-old brother of one of the men — likely died from the same lightning strike.

The incident occurred Sunday afternoon while the group was descending Mittagsspitze mountain near the village of Flirsch. A rescue helicopter subsequently located their bodies near a mountain path at approximately 2,268 metres (7,440 feet) above sea level.

Police described the event as a rare but tragic accident in the region.