KTLA

Two die from injuries in DC lightning strike near White House

(Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

(The Hill) — Two of the four people who were injured after being struck by lightning near the White House in Washington, D.C., have died from their injuries, police confirmed. 

The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) told The Hill that the two who died are 76-year-old James Mueller and 75-year-old Donna Mueller, both from Janesville, Wisconsin. MPD said the other two victims remain in critical condition in the hospital. 


A spokesman for D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services (FEMS) said in a statement on Thursday that FEMS received a report of a lightning strike in Lafayette Park, across from the White House, just before 7 p.m. 

FEMS found two adult males and two adult females injured when they arrived on the scene, and they quickly treated the victims and transported them to local hospitals. The spokesman said Secret Service agents and U.S. Park Police officers witnessed the strike and provided aid to those injured. 

Strong thunderstorms hit the D.C. area on Thursday night following a day of intense heat.