NSW Ambulance said paramedics were called to the Three Sisters lookout area on Echo Point Road in Katoomba,west of Sydney,about 3.15pm on Wednesday to reports of people struck by lightning.
Four bushwalkers have been taken to hospital after they were struck by lightning on a popular trail in the NSW Blue Mountains.
“Paramedics have been told four people were walking the Three Sisters track and holding on to the steel handrail when lightning struck,” an ambulance spokesman said.
He said the four – three women and a man all aged in their 20s – were able to walk out,and were taken to Blue Mountains Hospital in a stable condition.
One of the group,a 22-year-old woman,suffered head injuries during a fall after the lightning strike.She remained in hospital on Thursday morning in a stable condition,while the other three had been discharged,a hospital spokesman said.
The bad weather continued on Thursday as more storms brought a deluge to the Blue Mountains and Western Sydney,which copped the worst of the system.
The weather bureau on Thursday afternoon issued a severe thunderstorm warning for heavy rainfall and damaging winds affecting the NSW Hunter region and Central Tablelands,including Katoomba.
Storm clouds roll in over Echo Point,Katoomba.Louise Kennerley
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Angus Hines said thunderstorm activity was likely to move further north towards already flood-affected Queensland and northern NSW on Friday.
Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill said Wednesday’s major storm had caused chaos.
He said staff at the Echo Point visitor information centre,which overlooks the Three Sisters,had called emergency services for the bushwalkers,while “a large number of visitors” sheltered inside.
“Previous major rain events have caused landslides and trees to come down,” Greenhill said in a social media post on Wednesday night. “We are asking residents and visitors to take extreme care when outdoors and in parks and natural areas.”
He said police had been checking tracks after reports of stranded walkers. NSW Police said officers assisted with escorting people to safety.
The NSW State Emergency Service said crews had responded to 2066 incidents across the state between December 22 and January 3,including 72 flood rescues. There were three calls for assistance on Wednesday around Katoomba and neighbouring Leura.
In the state’s Northern Rivers,some areas have received more than 300 millimetres of rain over the new year period.
“We’ve heard reports of damaged roads and a landslip,and of bridges being washed away,” NSW SES Commissioner Carlene York said in a statement.
“Our crews are working directly with the local councils and communities and remain available to assist with resupply to any isolated residents.”
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