Four struck by lightning in Sydney as severe thunderstorms hit region

Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Four people were hospitalized after being struck by lightning at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney on Monday as severe thunderstorms battered Australia's southeastern coast.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service said the group of four were struck by lightning shortly before 1 p.m. local time while they were standing under a tree at the botanic garden, which is located near the city's iconic opera house.

A spokesman for the services said the four people had been "knocked unconscious" but had come to not long afterward.

The quartet was identified as a man and a woman in their 30s, a teenage boy and a woman in her 20s.

They were treated for burns and cardiac problems and were rushed to the hospital in stable condition, the services said.

The four were struck as the NSW State Emergency Services urged residents of eastern communities in the state, including Sydney, that severe thunderstorms are likely to produce heavy rain that may lead to flash flooding.

NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Sean Kearns said there is the potential for between 2 and 4 inches of rain to fall in isolated areas.

"We currently have advice warnings in place for heavy rainfall, which brings with it the risk of flash flooding," Kearns said in a statement. "I would encourage the public to follow the advice of emergency service personnel on the ground and not to drive through floodwater."

The nation's Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for NSW, southern Queensland and Victoria.

"Heavy rainfall leading to flash flooding, large hail & damaging wind gusts are possible," it said on X.