MOULTRIE, Ga. (AP) -- A 9-year-old Georgia girl died and her sister was seriously wounded from a lightning strike as a storm moved through the area, according to the county coroner.
Colquitt County Coroner Verlyn Brock told news outlets Sunday that Nicol Mateo Pedro was struck and killed Friday as she and others sought refuge from a sudden storm under a wooden shelter near the trail where they had been walking in Moultrie.
Lightning struck a pine tree next to the shelter, and the bolt of electricity traveled to the shelter, hitting the girl as she sat on a bench, according to WSB-TV.
Pedro's 15-year-old sister was burned by the lightning strike and was airlifted to a burn center, news outlets reported.
The girls' mother and two others with them were not hurt, Brock said.