Thirteen students and two teachers have been taken to hospital after a lightning strike at a central Queensland school.

The group suffered tingling symptoms after the lightning struck Clinton State School oval about 1.30pm on Tuesday, Queensland Ambulance Service says.

“The year six group were engaged in some wet play for their last day of school, their break up day,” operations superviser Greg Christensen told reporters.

The lightning is believed to have hit the ground between two trees on the oval where the children were playing during their lunchtime.

#Clinton – Paramedics are on scene assessing 16 patients for mild tingling symptoms after lightning struck nearby at a location off Harvey Road at 1.33pm.

— Queensland Ambulance (@QldAmbulance) December 8, 2020

“The main complaints were anxiety. The kids were pretty wound up after the incident,” Christensen said.

“They were also complaining of tingling to the lower limbs. That was a very common complaint.”

The group of children were aged between 10 and 12 years.

They and the teachers were taken to Gladstone Hospital in stable conditions.

#Update – 15 patients were transported to Gladstone Hospital in a stable conditions suffering tingling symptoms following a nearby lightning strike in #Clinton earlier.

— Queensland Ambulance (@QldAmbulance) December 8, 2020

In a statement, the Department of Education said the incident happened as teachers were moving students off the oval due to rumbling overhead.

Reports that students were engaged in water play at the time are incorrect, a spokesman said.

“Year six students had taken part in traditional end-of-year water slides earlier in the day,” he said.

“But there were no water activities in operation on the oval when the lightning strike occurred.”

-AAP