A Florida beach outing turned into a scene of horror Friday afternoon when lightning struck a group of swimmers, killing one man and injuring three others.

The terrifying strike hit the water at Fort Myers Beach at around 3 p.m. as Fourth of July weekend visitors were swimming and wading in the Gulf, according to WINK News.

An unidentified adult man was struck directly and killed. Three other people who were in the water nearby were injured and rushed to a local hospital, Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District Chief Scott Wirth said.

The injured swimmers appeared to be in stable condition, Lee County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sarah Rodriguez said.

Witness Debra Crombie said the blast was so powerful that it seemed to shake the entire beach.

“All of a sudden, it sounded like an atomic bomb went off,” Crombie told WINK News.

“I could see the flash, and I couldn’t see at that moment where it had hit, but I knew it had hit either on the beach or right at the shoreline,” she said.

“It was so bright our ears hurt, our eyes were blinded by it. That’s how intense this was.”

Crombie, who was visiting Fort Myers Beach with her family for their annual vacation, said one of her relatives saw the bolt slam into the water before appearing to split in two.

Moments later, panicked children began racing away from the shoreline.

“We saw kids running off the beach back to our resort and they were screaming,” Crombie recalled. “I’m like, ‘Oh boy, I bet somebody got hit.’”

The man who was directly struck was pulled from the water as people desperately attempted CPR. However, he was already dead by the time emergency crews arrived, according to the report.

Crombie said she believes the victim had been staying at the same resort with his family.

“We saw his child earlier in the day, and everyone was crying on and off,” she said. “I just can’t stop thinking about this family, and my heart just breaks for them.”

“It was supposed to be this beautiful experience on beautiful Fort Myers Beach, and now it’s not.”

Authorities have not publicly identified the victim.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said the man and the others involved had been traveling to another Florida city and stopped at the beach along the way.

It was not immediately clear whether the victim lived in Florida or was visiting from another state.

Crombie said the section of beach where the lightning struck is typically quiet, but the holiday weekend had drawn a much larger crowd than usual, including tourists who may not have understood how quickly Florida storms can become deadly.

“It makes you think these people can’t be from Florida,” she said. “They don’t understand how deadly the lightning is.”

“I’m not judging them, but we were looking at it like, ‘Why are the kids on the beach?’”

Severe thunderstorms were expected across parts of the East Coast during the Fourth of July weekend as a massive heat dome continued gripping much of the country.

Officials warned residents and tourists to take lightning threats seriously.

“We urge all residents, visitors, and beachgoers to monitor the weather prior to going outside,” the Lee County Sheriff’s Office wrote on X.

“If you observe lightning in the immediate area: stay out of the water, seek immediate shelter, and stay clear of loose or tall objects that could pose a risk or injury.”

Despite the deadly strike, most of Fort Myers Beach remained open.

“The remainder of the beach, outside the established crime scene, remained open following the incident,” the Sheriff’s Office said.