'We Are Grateful': 9 Girl Scouts Who Survived Lightning Strike Rescued From BWCA

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A group of nine Girl Scouts who experienced a lightning strike in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area during a Friday night storm have been rescued.

The Lake County Sheriff's office says they received a report of a lightning strike at about 7:15 p.m. at a campsite on an island in Knife Lake near the Canadian border. Several agencies -- including the St. Louis County Rescue Squad, the United States Border Patrol and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources -- joined forces in the search effort to rescue the group members from the Chicago area, who ranged in age from 13 to 20 years old.

Crews reached the group and got them to Moose Landing just before 4 a.m. Saturday. Motorboats were used to get crews to the first portage point, and then rescuers used canoes the rest of the way to retrieve the members

"To know our sisters from Chicago are safe is a great relief," said Tish Bolger, CEO of Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys. "We are grateful for the St. Louis County Rescue Squad and everyone who throughout the night [who brought] our sister Girl Scouts to safety."

It was originally reported that two members were injured from the lightning, but a spokesperson from the Girl Scouts River Valleys said Saturday afternoon no one was hurt.