Two people have been killed by lightning strikes at the Rocky Mountain national park in Colorado since Friday, while 10 have been injured and treated at a park hospital.

The lightning strikes hit two groups of hikers Friday and Saturday on trails near Trail Ridge Road, at elevations between 10,000 and 11,400 feet.

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Kyle Patterson, spokesman at the national park, said the first strike hit four people near Rainbow Curve Trail on Saturday afternoon.

All four were taken to the Estes Park Medical Center where one male victim died.

He was later identified as George Caldwell, 52, from Scottsbluff, Nebraska.

On Friday, another group of eight hikers were on the Ute Crossing Trail, when lightning struck.

Park officials said the group was preparing to descend because of the worsening weather when the tragedy occurred.

Rebecca Teilhet, 42, died on the scene while two others, including Teilhet's husband, were flown by helicopter to Estes Medical Center.

The couple came from Yellow Springs, Ohio.

Five of the other victims were driven by their companions to the medical center.

Authorities at the park warned people to get down and seek safer shelter when the weather starts getting bad and clouds start to form.

National Weather Service data says 11 people have died due to lightning strikes since the start of 2014.

On the average, 51 people are killed by lightning in the US annually. 

TagsRocky Mountain, colorado, National Weather Service, George Caldwell, Rebecca Teilhet