At around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, a rare summer lightning storm shot a bolt of lightning that hit the water off the coast of Southern California at Venice Beach and Catalina Island, striking 14 people, killing one and leaving another in critical condition, authorities said.
The storm that struck packed Venice Beach, Calif., killing a 20-year-old man and injuring up to 12 others, came soon after the same storm that struck a person on Catalina Island, ABC News reports.
A 57-year-old man was struck by lightning on a golf course on Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island. Steve Denning, a law enforcement technician with the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, said the man was hospitalized in stable condition and had no further information.
The man who died was swimming and went missing in the water after the lightning strike, according to ABC station KABC-TV in Los Angeles. He was pulled from the water 90 minutes later, given CPR and transported to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. His identity was not immediately released.