Authorities identify 5-year-old killed in lightning strike on NC beach

CAROVA, N.C. — Authorities have identified a 5-year-old boy killed by a lightning strike while he and his family vacationed on a North Carolina beach.

Currituck Fire and EMS Chief Ralph Melton tells local news outlets that Stephen Little of Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, was vacationing with his family when he was struck around 4 p.m. Saturday in Carova.

Melton says the family was trying to get back into their SUV as a storm approached when the boy was hit.

Authorities say the family put the boy into the vehicle and drove along the beach, meeting EMS partway. He was then taken to a hospital where he died.

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