Lightning strikes kill thousands globally each year, but for those who survive, the storm is far from over

Most lightning strike survivors have no visible scars, but their invisible injuries often go untreated.

By: Daile Zhang, University of North Dakota, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: August 10, 2026

Words: 1,573

Last Updated: 1 week, 1 day ago

By Daile Zhang, University of North Dakota

Every year, an estimated 6,000 to 24,000 people are killed by lightning across the world, and many more are injured.

Obviously, there is a wide range in these numbers, and that’s due to the fact that these estimates are built on limited and incomplete information.

I’m a lightning researcher at the University of North Dakota. I study both the physics of lightning and its impact on …

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