A lightning strike at a school playground has injured five students, leaving one unconscious, according to local media.

Students were playing football at a school in Nara, near Kyoto in western Japan, when the lightning struck and all five of those injured are believed to have been taken to hospital.

Quoting the police, Japan’s NHK public television said one 14-year-old boy was unconscious.

The other four students reported numbness in their limbs and were unable to speak smoothly, NHK added.

The channel said a team supervisor told police the lightning struck after a sudden downpour.

A thunderstorm warning was in effect across the region at the time.

The police and fire department are investigating.