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Several people struck by lightning outside football game in Florida

The bolt struck an SUV parked at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., shortly after a game between the Buccaneers and the Green Bay Packers.

By Fred Lambert

TAMPA, Fla., Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Several people were injured by lightning following an NFL game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., authorities say.

The lightning struck just after the conclusion of a game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, hitting an antenna on an SUV parked outside the stadium.

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None of the wounded are believed to have been struck directly, but at least seven people -- males and females between ages 20 and 70s -- were sent to St. Joseph's Hospital for various injuries, none of which were fatal, a spokesman for Tampa Fire Rescue said.

According to data compiled by the University of Florida, Florida is known as the lightning strike capital of the country, with 100 days of storms per year. The areas of the peninsula most at risk stretch from St. Augustine in the north down to Lake Okeechobee in the south. Tampa is in the middle of that zone.

The National Weather Service notes that lightning kills an average of 51 Americans annually, more than any other weather phenomenon.

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