Man struck by lightning speaks up!

The man, who was seen getting struck by lightning in a viral video, has spoken up about the incident and its aftermath on his health.

32-year-old Russian tourist Pavel Smirnov was struck by lightning as he danced on a pier in Georgian resort Batumi.

The incident was caught on CCTV cameras and the video soon went viral on social media.

The video showed Smirnov dancing with his brother and a friend when he was struck by lightning and he fell to the ground.

Now, the Russian tourist has recalled his ordeal, saying that he felt he was dying due to the severe burning all around his body.

“‌The first thing I saw was a tunnel of light. ‌You’re dancing, and a second after you are dying. Everything is burning as if you’re in Hell, it’s hard to breathe, your legs and arms don’t work. ‌I thought I’d hold on a little longer and either suffocate or burn to death. ‌It seemed like my insides and body were on fire,” he said.

While the lightning landed directly on the back of his head, his brother and a friend were unharmed as they were seen in the viral video rushing to his aid.

Pavel Smirnov’s brother then put out the flames on his burning T-shirt while their friends called an ambulance.

The impact was severe enough for Pavel that he lost consciousness for a brief period. When he finally came to his senses, the Russian tourist was convinced that the lightning had left him disabled.

Read more: Watch: Passenger plane gets struck by lightning right after takeoff

“’Then I heard from the guys that it was lightning. I began to understand what had happened, but it felt like I was about to die. I had a complete loss of sensation in all my limbs, both legs were uncontrollable,” he said.‌

“Only one arm moved normally. I felt pain from burns everywhere. ‌Pain in my intestines, inside the legs, all over the skin – everywhere.‌ It was very difficult to breathe, it seemed like I couldn’t catch my breath,” the tourist added.

The lightning had torn his shoes to pieces while badly burning his skin, however, doctors said that ‘it was miraculous’ that Pavel did not die or was seriously injured.

Meanwhile, the man remains in the hospital for observation. He is likely to be discharged in a few days to return home.

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