Tragedy struck Friday afternoon in Halkidiki with a 13-year-old girl losing her life when she was struck by lightning.

The tragic incident happened at around 4.30pm when the girl was at Posidi, on the sandy beach.

It is noted that in the region of Halkidiki today there is bad weather with heavy rainfall.

Preliminary investigation of the incident is being conducted by the Kassandra Police Department.

The girl had come out of the sea with her parents and ten minutes later, when they had gathered their things and were walking briskly to reach the car as it had started to rain, a lightning strike hit the 13-year-old on the head, causing her to lose her life instantly.

At that moment, the girl was walking about one to one and a half meters behind her mother, while her father was at a slightly greater distance. He heard the thunderclap and saw his wife and daughter fall onto the sand. “The lightning struck both my wife and the child. If they had been holding hands, as they were a little while before, it would have taken them both,” the father of the 13-year-old said to protothema.gr.

As soon as he realized what had happened and saw his wife gesturing with her hands, the girl’s father ran to provide first aid but it was in vain, as he says the child had already passed away and her body smelled burnt. The rescuers who arrived on the scene after some time had passed trying to locate the family, attempted to revive the minor by performing CPR, but her death had been instantaneous.

“My child fell down and never got up again,” says the father of the 13-year-old, noting that she was an excellent child, an honor student, and a very capable athlete, leaving behind her two younger siblings.

The girl’s mother was also slightly injured in the incident but is in good health, though she remains in shock, as does the father.