Emergency crews work to reach Girl Scouts after campsite lightning strike

UPDATE: At approximately 4 a.m., the St. Louis County Rescue Team issued a statement via Facebook  reporting that all patients and uninjured scouts arrived at Moose Landing by 3:49 a.m. All of the patients were awake, alert and able to move without assistance.

Rescue personnel are all accounted for and have returned safely to the Command Post. 
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A rescue operation is currently under way in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for a group of Girl Scouts from Chicago whose campsite on Knife Lake was struck by lightning in the severe storm that rolled through the region around 8 p.m. on Friday, July 26.

The call for assistance after the lightning strike reported six people with after-effects of a lightning strike, with two parties apparently suffering acute symptoms. It is believed there are nine people in the group.

Lake and St. Louis counties, along with the U.S. Border Patrol, mobilized and have ground and paddle teams on route to the campsite. As of 1:50 a.m., responders had reached the Birch Lake portage.

They are being assisted by the Minnesota State Patrol, which has deployed a fixed wing aircraft to help pinpoint the group's position. It was estimated that it would take two to three hours to paddle to the Girl Scout location. Rescue efforts are hampered by darkness and winds.

The Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin-Lakes and Pines issued a statement on its Facebook page, advising that no one in the group was struck by lightning and no one was ever in critical condition. According to the Girl Scout post, "the lead guide called in the lightning strike, per protocol, informed authorities of their exact location per the planned route and said 'they believe that lightning struck the grund and they might have experienced ground current.'" 

The Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin-Lakes and Pines also states that staff has been working with local authorities and that the group has been "in constant contact with medical personnel the entire time." According to the Girl Scout organization, as of 11:08 p.m., an EMT was with the group.