BANNER ELK, N.C. (AP) β Six people were hospitalized for injuries they sustained when lightning struck near a roller coaster in Banner Elk, authorities said.
They were injured Tuesday while sitting under a tree at Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster, the business said in a Facebook post. Lightning struck the tree, cracked the pavement and knocked several people to the ground, the Avery County Sheriffβs Office told a local news outlet.
They were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the sheriffβs office said. The roller coaster was not operating at the time of the incident.
βWe closely monitor weather and shut operations down till storms pass through,β the ride said on Facebook Tuesday.
Avery County, where the roller coaster is located, was under a severe thunderstorm warning on Tuesday afternoon, a local news outlet reported.
