Lightning bolt kills man and horse in NZ

A man and his horse have died after being struck by lightning in northern New Zealand.

Police say the 50-year-old man was riding the horse on a farm near the rural town of Dargaville on North Island when a lightning bolt hit the pair.
Police say the strike instantly killed both the man and horse.
Sergeant Jonathan Thier says the man was on a club outing with a group from the Northland Hunt Club.
Staff at Whangarei Hospital say four other people who were near the man at the time of the strike have been taken to the hospital for checks, but appear unhurt.
Town residents say the thunderstorm lasted nearly three hours on Tuesday.
About a dozen people have been killed by lightning in New Zealand in the past 85 years.