Horrifying video shows reporter get struck by lightning during live broadcast

A reporter in northeastern China is lucky to be alive after he was struck by lightning during a live news broadcast on Monday.

Liu Xiaodong, a reporter for the Chinese news station Dalian Weather TV, was shooting coverage of a storm from the roof of the multi-story Dalian Meteorological Observatory building at the time of the incident.

Terrifying footage of the strike was posted on YouTube, where it quickly accrued nearly 100,000 views.

In the video, Xiaodong can be seen calmly addressing the camera until a giant flash of white overtakes the grey sky.

The reporter then screams and winces in pain before throwing his metal umbrella to the ground.

Shockingly, both Xiaodong and his cameraman survived the incident without sustaining any serious injuries.

"I saw a yellow spark on my hand and the umbrella handle. The electricity traveled up my forearm and my hand was numb afterward," Xiaodong told ThePaper.cn.

"The video didn't quite capture the sparks. Had the video really captured the current hitting my hand, I probably wouldn't be standing here giving this interview."

(h/t Rare)