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Lightning kills man and woman aboard separate jet skis in Puerto Rico

Two people aboard jet skis were killed by lightning in waters along southern Puerto Rico, police said Monday. Authorities said lightning first struck a 36-year-old man driving a jet ski and then made contact with a 26-year-old woman who was a passenger on another nearby.

The driver of the second jet ski was not injured.

Police said the man died immediately while the woman died shortly after being brought ashore.

The deaths occurred late Sunday afternoon as Tropical Storm Earl swirled northeast of the island, dropping heavy rain at times.

According to the National Lighting Safety Council, Puerto Rico's last lightning fatality occurred almost exactly five years earlier, on Sept. 5, 2017.

Two other people on the island have been killed by lightning since 2006, according to the group.

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