At noontime on Saturday, three tourists from the United States were struck by lighting during a powerful thunderstorm that continued until mid-afternoon. As of Saturday evening, two of the struck U.S. tourists were listed as being in delicate condition at the hospital.

According to a news report filed by Shirley Vasquez of national newspaper La Nacion, the three victims in this meteorological incident have been identified as 32-year old Jorge Teller and 30-year old Javier Carpio, who were reported to be in delicate condition due to their injuries from the lightning strike.

The third victim, Shelby Suminsky, is reported to be in stable condition. She is 28 years old.

The tourists were rushed to the San Rafael Hospital, located between the Downtown Alajuela district and the Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO). Red Cross rescuers from a unit stationed near the Poas Volcano National Park worked with park rangers to save the victims. The San Rafael Hospital is part of La Caja, the public health care system of Costa Rica.

According to a statement by Park Director Redy Conejo, most tourists visiting the crater of the Poas volcano had left the observation platform and the crater and sought shelter once the rainstorm had begun. The three struck tourists were among the few who were still enjoying the view of the crater at the time.

This is the first time a lightning strike has been reported at the Poas volcano, although the colossus is located in an area known to be prone to lighting in Costa Rica. The crater itself is not prone to lightning; however, coffee farm workers at the plantations on the skirts of the volcano immediately seek shelter when they hear thunder. The Poas is located at the crossroads of three cantons in the province of Alajuela: Grecia, Valverde Vega and Alajuela, where some districts are known to attract lightning.

The National Institute of Meteorology estimated that the Central Valley was pelted with 229 lightning strikes on Saturday, and that flash flooding in San Jose and Heredia affected various communities. As powerful as the storm was, it did not come close to the mid-2012 weather disturbance over the Central Valley. As reported by The Costa Rica Star at that time:

Storm clouds over Costa Rica a few days ago produced a little over 0.11 percent of the average daily global lighting strikes in just two hours.

The impressive thunderstorm that soaked great portions of the Central Valley on Wednesday evening delivered 2,000 lightning strikes, frying household appliances and electronics and striking fear in the hearts of dogs that affected by canine astraphobia (fear of thunder, lightning and storms in general).

In recent years, Guanacaste has been reported to have passed the Central Valley in terms of being the most lightning-prone region of Costa Rica.