The thunderstorm occurred before dawn on Thursday and lasted until 4:00 am on Friday. Three residents held up in a forest park were struck by the lightning, according to the local observatory.

A person in charge of the observatory named Liang Guofeng described the thunderstorm as"rather violent" and"rare" although Yangjiang is often hit by thunderstorms.

Yangjiang City is the center of thunderstorm in Guangdong Province, with an average of 92 days in a year to see thunderstorms, mainly in the six months from May to October. Enditem