A BRITISH woman is fighting for life after being struck by lightning in front of her daughter on a beach in Croatia.
The 48-year-old is in a critical condition after being hit while she was sunbathing with her daughter at a beach near the city of Split in the south of the country.
She was struck by a massive bolt of lightning as the pair were trying to reach the safety of a nearby hotel.
A lightning bolt stopped her heart, damaged internal organs and left her with horrific burns in a million-to-one drama.
The unnamed mum was knocked unconscious instantly by the 300 million volt blast that hit her.
Passers-by heard the daughter's screams and rushed to the scene.
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She was only saved by a quick-thinking medic on duty at a triathlon event nearby who ran to her aid and managed to resuscitate her after the strike at 3pm on Saturday.
The woman was rushed to the nearby KBC hospital in Split where she remains in a critical condition with head injuries and burns.
Dr Mileva Frankic, who is treating the woman at the KBC hospital in Split told The Sun: "The 48-year-old British woman suffered a cardiac arrest due to a lightning strike.
"Fortunately, resuscitation started immediately on the beach and continued in the ambulance.
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"We are monitoring the patient and unfortunately, her life is still in danger.
"In addition to the burns that we expect from a lightning strike, there are also changes in several organs that are the consequences of the strike and cardiac arrest."
A source in Croatia told The Sun last night: "It’s been a hot summer and the heatwave was followed by a very dramatic thunderstorm.
"Storms like this don’t happen very often in summer months in Split but when they do they can be biblical.
"The mother was very unlucky to have been caught in the open – first reports suggested she was struck while in the sea but it seems she was walking on the sand with her daughter."
They went on: "The power of the lightning bolt was enormous and her injuries were very serious. She may have suffered long-term organ damage."
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A Foreign Office spokeswoman said last night: "We are providing support to the family of a British national in Croatia and are in contact with the local authorities".
The official advice for avoiding injury during thunderstorms while at the beach is to get out of the water immediately and head for the nearest building, not hide under a tree or tent.
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