A child remains in intensive care after being struck by lightning on a beach in the New South Wales Illawarra region in what first responders have described as a "freak" accident".
The 10-year-old boy was struck while in the surf at Barrack Point on Warilla South Beach, near Shellharbour, just after 5pm on Thursday.
Illawarra Ambulance district inspector Terry Morrow said lifeguards who were first on the scene responded quickly, pulling the boy from the water before commencing cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
"People were yelling and screaming for help, the lifeguards rushed to the assistance of the young man, he was in full cardiac arrest, unconscious and unresponsive," he said.
"An off-duty doctor happened to be on the beach at the time and also went to the young fellow's aid.
"We went to get the helicopter to take him to Sydney, however the weather was extreme and we had to take the boy to Westmead Children's Hospital by road, under police escort."
A witness has told the ABC that two nurses, including an ICU specialist, also helped treat the boy on the beach.
Boy suffered electrical burns
Mr Morrow said the boy remained in a critical but stable condition on Friday morning but had injuries consistent with lightning strike.
"He did have burns to his chest from the electrical conduction that went through his body," he said.
"It actually instantly stopped his heartbeat and stopped his breathing.
"It is rare that you get somebody that has been basically electrocuted while they're in the water."
Lifeguards considered closing the beach
Lifeguard supervisor Byron Vinkovic said the lightning strike had shocked beachgoers.
"From reports of lifeguards and members of the public it was an extremely loud bang," he said.
Lifeguards considered closing the beach when the storm approached using a system which classifies the storm as dangerous if the time between a lightning strike and thunder is less than 30 seconds.
"It is part of our standard operating procedure. We have what's called the 30/30 rule when the lightning storm gets within a certain distance," Mr Vinkovic said.
"We were monitoring the storm front and it was over Wollongong.
"The lightning strike did occur a certain distance from the storm front which is why we hadn't made the decision to close the beach yet."
Timely warning
Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steve Pearce said the outcome could have been worse if lifeguards had not responded so quickly.
"This was just a freak accident," he said.
"Our thoughts and hearts really go out to the family of the child … hopefully the child will have a great recovery in hospital."
Mr Pearce said it should act as a timely reminder not to enter the water during a thunderstorm.
"The general rule of thumb is if there is lightning activity to exit the water and to take shelter," he said.
"Obviously when you're on the beach you're a lot more exposed and [there are] a lot less [other] targets for lightning to strike as well.
"But from all accounts, when this lightning cell started coming across, everyone started to vacate the beach but unfortunately the child was struck by lightning."
Lifeguards congratulated
Shellharbour City Mayor Chris Homer congratulated the council-employed lifeguards and said in more than 40 years of surfing at local breaks, he had never heard of a similar incident.
"It's an extraordinary incident, it's one in a million," Mr Homer said.
"Unfortunately, it happened on the Shellharbour City coastline, and I can only hope the young boy is doing really well and recovering.
"I just want to send a massive thank you to our council lifeguards, and I will be congratulating them personally."
