Man struck by lightning while fishing at the Rez
A man is dead after he was struck by lightning while attempting to fish at the Ross Barnett Reservoir in Rankin County.
By Richard Bourne
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RANKIN COUNTY, Mississippi (WAPT) — A man is dead after he was struck by lightning while attempting to fish at the Ross Barnett Reservoir in Rankin County.
Reservoir police Chief Carlos DiPuma said they received a call just after 10 a.m. Tuesday regarding an abandoned boat near the launch at the Goshen South park.
Police said a witness told them a man was getting ready to head out onto the water as a storm was coming in.
Police called the fire department, emergency response and the wildlife department and started looking for the man. DiPuma said some of the man’s fishing gear was still out at the launch.
Soon after the search began, officials found him dead in the water.
“It appears that he was struck by lightning. It was a lightning strike. … If you see a storm coming up, please get off the water. We preach this every year about boating safety. Please have your life vest on, please. You know, if you see storms coming up, if you’re out in the middle of our lake out here, as shallow as it is, it don’t take much wind for the waves to start churning. You can get in a dangerous situation, especially in a lightning storm,” DiPuma said.
Police did not identify the victim but said he was from Copiah County and authorities there had been notified.
Officials said the victim was alone.
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