A 33-year-old woman was filmed being killed by lightning on a Mexican beach during a massive thunderstorm in a tragedy that also killed a hammock seller.

• Elvia de Jesus and Felix Andres were struck by lightning and killed on a beach in Michoacan, Mexico, on Friday.
• Video footage showed De Jesus walking away from the water when she was struck by lightning, moments before Felix Andres was also injured.
• De Jesus was pronounced dead at the scene and Felix Andres was taken to hospital where he died.

A 33-year-old woman who was vacationing alongside a hammock seller when they were both struck by lightning on a Mexican beach during a storm has died.

Elvia de Jesus and the seller, named locally as Felix Andres, were seen dead while walking on the sand of Maruata Beach when they were struck by lightning on Friday afternoon.

Aquila municipal authorities said de Jesús was trying to follow her husband, Roberto de Jesús, 34, after the couple emerged from the water.

While he managed to seek shelter under the canopy from the oncoming storm, de Jesús was struck by lighting.

Andres was walking several feet to De Jesus’ left when he was struck less than a second later.

The impact of the electric shock sent the beach worker and other swimmers running for their safety.

De Jesus’ husband performed CPR and paramedics and naval officers arrived to provide additional support before she was pronounced dead.

Felix Andres was transported to a local hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

Aquila Mayor José Valencia revealed that de Jesús was a resident of the central state of Guanajuato. He also said that Felix Andres, who was selling hammocks on the beach, was staying in the nearby state of Guerrero.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least 40 million lightning strikes the ground in the United States each year.

Although the chances of being struck by lightning each year are less than one in a million, approximately 90 percent of victims survive.

The chances of a person being hit multiple times are much lower, as it happens seven times in a lifetime.

National Weather Service data shows that in 2023, 11 people were killed by lightning in the United States, including two people in separate boating and swimming incidents.

In comparison, 19 people died after being bombed last year, up from 11 in 2021.

The Federal Weather Service says there are five ways this can be done Lighting can strike people.

A direct hit occurs in open areas. Although it is not the most common, it can be the most deadly.

“In most direct hits, part of the current moves along and just above the surface of the skin (called a flashover) and part of the current moves through the body — usually through the cardiovascular and/or nervous system,” the National Weather Service explains.

A person can also receive a jolt from a lightning bolt from a side flash. Lightning tends to strike an object taller than the victim – for example a tree – and parts of the stream are transmitted from the object to the victim.