Three dead and one in critical condition after a lightning strike near the White House

Three dead and one in critical condition after a lightning strike near the White House

Police confirmed to CBS News Friday that three seriously injured people in a lightning strike outside the White House have died. Another person remained in hospital with serious injuries.

The Metropolitan Police Department said James Mueller, 76, and Donna Mueller, 75, of Gainesville, Wisconsin, died of injuries after a lightning strike in Lafayette Park, just outside the White House complex.

In a statement, Mueller's niece, Michelle McKnight, said that the couple was high school sweethearts on a trip. They left behind five children, ten grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

"The family is asking for privacy and prayer as they go through this sudden tragedy," McKnight said.

The Metropolitan Police said a 29-year-old man died on Friday, a day after the strike. She did not disclose any other information about the victim pending notification of her relatives.

The police department said a woman is still in the hospital. Her identity was not immediately revealed.

The lightning was reported at 6:52 p.m. Maggiolo said the victims were near a statue of Andrew Jackson, adding that "it looks like they were near a tree."

"Their agents and officers witnessed this lightning strike and immediately began to assist," Maguolo said.

The CBS News camera, which was recorded on the North Lawn of the White House at the time of the lightning strike, captured the mighty rumble of thunder.

"The thunder was so loud," Nancy Cordes, White House correspondent for CBS News, wrote on Twitter. That's very close - we'll be shutting down 'Recommended Photographer Ron Windham.