Lightning hits children's soccer match in Germany, 35 hurt

BERLIN — Police in Germany say 35 people have been taken to the hospital after lightning struck a children's soccer match in western Germany.

Three adults were seriously injured in the incident yesterday afternoon in Hoppstaetten, including the referee. Another 32 people, among them 30 children aged from nine to 11, were taken to the hospital as a precaution, the dpa news agency reported.

The game had just finished when lightning struck suddenly at about 2 p.m., police spokesman Dominik Lentz told n-tv television.

He says "according to what everyone present says, there were no clouds in the sky ... so that this incident couldn't have been expected."

Parts of western Germany have seen storms, heavy rain and hail over the past two days.