Spectacular lightning strike at NW port caught on video

Nature’s awesome power was on show when a spectacular lightning strike at the Cape Preston iron ore port in WA’s North West was captured on video.

The footage, shot from inside a car headed towards the port, shows the lightning bolt hit a huge CITIC Pacific stacker at the facility, about 60km south of Karratha.

The video was posted to mining jobs and forum website Mining Link’s Facebook page yesterday.

The post said the footage, submitted by a Mining Link follower on behalf of a fellow workmate, was shot “on a stormy evening that lasted throughout the night”.

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A spokesman for CITIC, which ships magnetite iron ore through the port from its Sino Iron project, said machines on the site were designed to withstand such strikes and there had been no reports of damage.

It comes as the Pilbara braces for more wet and stormy weather from a tropical low headed down the north-west coast.

A tropical low is now 300km north, north-east of Port Hedland and is expected to cross the Pilbara coastline by tomorrow afternoon.

Pilbara Ports Authority has started clearing vessels from the inner harbour at Port Hedland, with the last vessel expected to depart the port this evening. Vessels were cleared from the port anchorages yesterday afternoon.

At Ashburton, vessels are expected to be cleared from the port by 6pm tomorrow.

At Dampier, vessels are expected to be cleared from the port by 12pm tomorrow.