Event narrative (NOAA)
Lightning struck 48 students and three Ranger instructors on a field training exercise at Camp Frank D. Merrill. As the soldiers were moving to low ground because of the weather, a lightning bolt saturated the area. Some were knocked unconscious, others were semi-concscious, while others weren't visibly affected. All were monitored for adverse affects and two soldiers remained hospitalized the next day, one in intensive care.
Other notable lightning events in Georgia
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.