A 47-year-old resident of a kibbutz in central Israel was killed on Thursday in a suspected lightning strike as he walked his dog.
Yaakov “Kobi” Meshek was found lying unconscious in Kibbutz Haogen’s agricultural fields by two children, with his body covered in burns consistent with being hit by lightning.
“I was nearby when the incident took place and I saw the storm that had spread across the region,” United Hatzalah paramedic Gal Hazi recalled. “A few minutes after the storm began I received an alert that a man was unconscious after being struck by lightning while in the fields near the kibbutz.”
Hazi said that after arriving on the scene, he began CPR on the unconscious man, who did not have a pulse, before being joined by an intensive care ambulance team.
Meshek was taken to Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera, however, doctors were unable to resuscitate him.
In a joint statement, the Emek Hefer Regional Council and Kibbutz Haogen said: “A major tragedy happened today. The kibbutz and the entire region have gone into deep mourning. Kobi was born and raised in the kibbutz, a nice person, loved by all.”
“The council and the whole community are embracing Meshek’s family and friends,” the statement concluded.