(CNN) A lightning strike Sunday at a Florida beach injured eight people, Clearwater Police Department Lt. Michael Ogliaruso said.

Witnesses reported seeing the eight people either falling or being thrown when the lightning struck Clearwater Beach, near Tampa, Ogliaruso told CNN.

One man in his 40s was directly hit by the strike, fire rescue officials told CNN affiliate WFTS-TV The man went into cardiac arrest and is in critical condition, WFTS reported.

Three employees of a jet ski rental company and two foreign tourists were among the injured, though the extent of their injuries was unclear, Ogliaruso said.

Four people, including the man struck by lightning, were taken to the hospital, Ogliaruso said

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