Stunning Louisiana lightning strike caught on camera

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Stunning lightning strike in Louisiana caught on camera

The St. John Parish Sheriff's Office has released a video showing a lightning strike this week in LaPlace, Louisiana. (Credit: St. John Parish Sheriff's Office/WEATHER TRAKER/TMX)

Police in Louisiana have captured stunning footage showing the moment lightning struck a community outside New Orleans. 

The strike happened Wednesday in LaPlace at a grassy lot surrounded by a nursing home, a church, a Catholic school and other residential properties, the St. John Parish Sheriff's Office says. 

Video from a camera on top of a tower shows the strike lighting up the sky. 

It happened as severe weather swept through the region, killing three people across Louisiana. 

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A lightning strike is seen on video in LaPlace, Louisiana, around 3 p.m. Wednesday. (St. John Parish Sheriff's Office/WEATHER TRAKER/TMX)

In nearby St. Charles Parish, a 56-year-old woman died "after a tornado destroyed her house in the Killona area," the Louisiana Department of Health said.  

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The strike hit an area near homes, a church, a Catholic school and a nursing home, police say. (St. John Parish Sheriff's Office/WEATHER TRAKER/TMX)

"We also uplift prayers for our neighbors in St. Charles Parish," the St. John Parish Sheriff's Office added. 

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An 8-year-old boy and his mother also were killed after a tornado ripped through Keithsville, in the northwest corner of the state. 

The strike is seen lighting up the sky. (St. John Parish Sheriff's Office/WEATHER TRAKER/TMX)

News outlets in Louisiana also reported up to 25 injuries in Union Parish after a tornado leveled a neighborhood in Farmerville Tuesday evening. No fatalities were reported. 

Fox News' Elizabeth Pritchett and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.