An off-duty fireman has been labelled a hero after saving the life of a child who was one of a group of eleven people struck by lightning during a birthday party.
Three children have been left fighting for their lives after being struck as they sheltered under a tree from a sudden thunderstorm in a Paris park.
Another child and an adult were seriously injured and in total eleven people were hit when the lightning struck in Parc Monceau, reports The Telegraph.
Fortunately for the victims, an off-duty fireman was on-hand to give first aid, giving CPR to one child whose heart had stopped.
The off-duty fireman, Pascal Gremillet, said:
I saw them on the ground beside a tree. There was a child in cardiac arrest so I gave first aid and heart massage.
Police blocked off a section of a nearby road while the victims were taken to two hospitals with psychologists on call to counsel traumatised parents.
Grégoire Gauger witnessed the tragedy:
It started raining buckets and everyone headed for shelter and then lightning struck. We all jumped. I was only 300 metres away.
Unfortunately it was a group of children form the area who were hit during a birthday tea.
Another freak incident saw 35 people injured in Germany when a lightning bolt struck during a children’s football match. The referee was hit directly and was rushed to hospital by helicopter.
It sounds like Mr Gremillet’s actions saved at least one life – and let’s hope they all have a speedy recovery.
