Rescuers reach Girl Scouts struck by lightning in Minnesota

DULUTH, Minn. — Authorities in northern Minnesota early Saturday reached a group of Girl Scouts who were reportedly affected by a lightning strike in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Two of the girls in the group of nine, which included a guide, were reported to have been struck by lightning Friday night. Initial reports said it was a group of six.

The St. Louis County Rescue Squad confirmed early Saturday that crews had reached the scouts on a Knife Lake island and would bring the entire party out. The “patients and uninjured scouts” arrived at Moose Landing just before 4 a.m., according to an update from the squad.

The rescue squad clarified that the group was never “missing” or “stranded,” and all patients were “awake, alert, and able to move without assistance.”

Rick Slatten of the rescue squad told the Star Tribune that the Girl Scouts were between 15 to 18 years old.

A spokesman said Gov. Tim Walz was monitoring the situation. Walz tweeted out a request for prayers for the Girl Scouts.

The rescue squad said the Lake County Sheriff’s Office would release more information Saturday.

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