Storm Chaser Mike Olbinski
A woman in her sixties and a 44-year-old man were said to be in serious condition after being directly hit by the lightning and suffering from burns in France - Representational Image Mike Olbinski

At least 15 people were injured, two of them seriously, after lightning struck a tent during a music festival in northeast France on Saturday (2 September), according to reports.

The regional council said in a statement that the lightning struck several areas during the Vieux Canal festival in the northeast town of Azerailles.

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According to local media, the lightning struck a big tent pitched near a tree under which festival goers had taken shelter.

A woman in her sixties and a 44-year-old man were said to be in serious condition after being directly hit by the lightning and suffering from burns, according to the BBC.

Among the injured were two children aged 10 who were also taken to hospital after suffering shock. Before being taken to hospitals in the area, the injured received first aid from the festival's emergency centre.

All the performances of Saturday were cancelled among which were those of French electronic act Pony Pony Run Run and pop group Black Bones.

Earlier on 8 August, a 15-year-old boy suffered a cardiac arrest and burns after being struck by lightning while at an outdoor youth camp.

France is often put on alert around this time of the year for violent storms. Between 100 to 200 people are struck by lightning every year, according to a Gazette Review report.

It adds that the chances of being killed by lightning are 300,000 to one. Between nine and 10 percent of the people who are struck by lightning lose their lives in the US. In countries such as the UK, an average of three people are killed by lighting every year.

At a German rock festival last year, 71 people were injured by a lightning strike.