8 People Killed by Lightning in Virginia, Oklahoma, N.Y.

Five members of a West Virginia family on a boating trip were killed by lightning after they made the mistake of seeking shelter under a tree.

In Oklahoma City, lightning struck three men who were playing golf Sunday, killing two of them, and in New York, lightning struck at least six beach-goers trying to flee a thunderstorm, killing one.

The victims in Virginia were killed last Thursday on an island in Lake Moomaw and were found Friday by a fisherman.

“It was one heck of a bolt to jolt them like that,” said Bath County Sheriff’s Lt. Noel Dunnagan. “The pine bark was split all the way down.”

They were identified as Harrison Lee Christian, 46; his wife, Sheila K. Christian, 37; and their son, Matthew Zeph Christian, 10. Also killed were Harrison Christian’s uncle, Robert Chester Johnson, whose age was unavailable, and his wife, Marjorie E. Johnson, 63. The Christians were from Camden on Gauley, W. Va., and the Johnsons lived in Princeton, W. Va.

Seeking shelter under trees in thunderstorms is dangerous, said Charles Edwards of the National Weather Service.

“The rule is, ‘don’t get under a tree,’ ” Edwards said. “Lightning strikes at the highest peak.”

In Oklahoma, Don Grace, 53, and Martin Ryan, 51, were killed when their golf cart was struck by lightning. A third passenger was treated at a hospital for minor injuries.

In the borough of Queens in New York, lightning struck the beach-goers Sunday as they packed up their belongings during a storm. An unidentified man in his 20s was killed and at least five others were injured.