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KTEL bus struck by lightning near Alexandroupolis

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BeeTee:

--- Quote --- A long-distance KTEL bus was completely burned on Saturday evening when it was hit by lightning outside the village of Monastiraki, located near the Greek-Turkish border, in the regional unit of Evros.

According to local website e-evros.gr, the bus was travelling from Alexandroupolis to Orestiada when it was hit by a lightning bolt.

The driver reacted quickly and all passengers disembarked safely before the bus was consumed by flames. No injuries were reported.

Eighteen firemen were dispatched to put out the fire. 
--- End quote ---

http://www.ekathimerini.com/229066/article/ekathimerini/news/ktel-bus-struck-by-lightning-near-alexandroupolis

Maik:
OMG!  :blink:

Thank goodness no-one was hurt. Suspect it was the electrical wiring in the bus that 'caught' the lightning strike and caused the fire. Generally, cars (and coaches) are good places to be during a storm:


--- Quote ---Get inside a car if you can. Lightning will spread over the metal of the vehicle before earthing to the ground through the tyres.
--- End quote ---
Telegraph.co.uk: How to stay safe in thunder and lightning


--- Quote ---3. School Buses. Metal buses are good Faraday cages. Make sure all windows are closed and the "hands on laps" rule is observed. Pull over and wait out the storm.
--- End quote ---
National Lightning Safety Institute: Vehicles and Lightning

"Hands on laps" = do not touch anything, especially anything metallic e.g. door frame, gear stick, foot pedals, cell phone charger.

Some potentially useful info in those two links.

NB: 'Soft tops' / convertibles aren't safe during a lightning strike.

BeeTee:
Thanks for the links Maik, very interesting. Like you I always thought I was pretty safe in a car or even buses during thunderstorms and lightning strikes but think I might just avoid the old KTEL buses for a while.

Maik:

--- Quote from: BeeTee on Sunday, 27 May, 2018 @ 19:12:23 ---I might just avoid the old KTEL buses
--- End quote ---

Ah, yes! I can remember traveling in those old things, not on Kef but other islands I visited earlier. There was one something like this abandoned in a field near Platies:

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