23 Scouts hospitalized after lightning strike in Belmont, New Hampshire

By Ian Johnston, Staff Writer, NBC News

Twenty-three Boy Scouts were hospitalized after a lightning strike in New Hampshire on Monday night, a fire chief said.

Chief David Parenti, of Belmont Fire Station, said the Scouts, aged from 12 to 16, were at the Griswold Scout Reservation in Belmont when the incident happened.

He said they were taken to local hospitals for further evaluation.

When asked about their conditions, he said he ?wouldn't even call it serious.?

Parenti told NBC station WHDH that many of the injuries were minor burns. He said six scouts were given cardiac monitors because the burns were in the chest area.

However, he said this was done mostly as a precaution.

He told WHDH that the scouts had taken shelter under a tarp during the storm.

?At some point in time the lightning either struck nearby or struck the shelter they were under or a tree or something and traveled through into the meadow,? he said.

Greg Osborn, marketing director for Daniel Webster Council, a division of the Boy Scouts of America, said that three leaders were also affected by the strike.

He said no one was directly hit, but all reported a tingling sensation afterward.

Osborn said they were taken to Lakes Region Hospital and Concord Hospital as a precaution.

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This story was originally published on Tue Jun 25, 2013 4:43 AM EDT

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